Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: Soul Merge
by supertinagirl6
Summary: When Zarc and Ray's souls split into four, some of their fragments ended up merging together. Now 14 year-old teenage girl Yuya Sakaki finds herself in the middle of a dimension traveling adventure in order to save her friend Yaza Hiiragi. But on the way, she finds herself met with confusion when she meets 2 boys and 1 girl that have her face. Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V Partial Genderbend AU
1. Chapter 1 - Cries and Smiles

Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: Soul Merge

Chapter 1

Pain ripped through his entire being, resulting in a pained scream echoing throughout the air. He felt his very essence separated, being drawn far away in different directions. He didn't want to remain like this, he wanted to fill the hole left in him. At that moment, he sensed the presence of yet another incomplete essence . Without any hesitation, he clung onto this essence and willed himself to merge with it. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was a bright red light, or perhaps a purple one; he was unable to tell.

The sound of crying filled the air. Lying at the doorstep of house was a small baby girl with a blue crystal hanging from a chain around her neck, wailing out for any kind of comfort. She was alone and frightened, leaving her to constantly cry with tears streaming down her face. It wasn't long till the door opened up to reveal a woman with blonde hair and green eyes.  
The woman let out a yawn before she glanced down, any drowsiness she was experiencing immediately changing into shock. She gasped as she darted into the house, quickly grabbing a spare blanket before returning to the door. Swiftly she wrapped the infant up in the blanket whilst holding her closely to her chest.

"Yusho, come down here! Quickly!" she cried out as she gently rocked the baby in her arms in an attempt to comfort her.

The baby's cries began to quiet down but only slightly, resulting in her cries still filling the air. There was finally someone to comfort her, but something still felt missing. With her mind being too young to think, she couldn't understand what her heart was yearning for. So she continued to cry in the hopes that her cries would be answered with the thing she yearned for.  
The blonde-headed woman frowned as she tried bouncing the baby a bit as well. Panic filled her mind until she registered a series of footsteps coming down the stairs. She sighed in relief as she turned in time to see a man with black hair and brown eyes walk down the stairs, that man being Yusho.

The dark-haired man's eyes widened when he saw the infant his wife held in her arms. He had grew worried when heard his wife shout for him as the sound of crying filled the air, but now that worry had transformed into confusion with a hint of concern.

"Yoko, where did that baby come from?" he asked as he approached.

"I found her on our doorstep, crying her heart out. I wouldn't have known she was there if I hadn't came down here to get a glass of water." Yoko answered.

Without a word, Yusho walked out of the front door and looked around. He couldn't see any sign of a note or anyone that could have left the baby on his doorstep. The only thing he could find was a single Duel Monsters card. Out of curiosity, he picked it up and examined it. His brow raised in surprise when he flipped the card forward. He knew of many cards, but he never heard of a card with a monster called Odd-Eyes Dragon. Seeing nothing else that he could use as clues for the infant's mysterious appearance, he went back inside his house.

But the moment he did this, he paused when he heard the baby's cries had transformed into whimpers. Glancing toward his wife, he was greeted with two bright red eyes staring at him.  
The baby whimpered as she reached out her tiny hands in a desperate attempt to grab the card Yusho held. She could feel that card was the thing her heart was yearning for. She continued to whimper, her hands clutching at air as she tried to get the card despite being nowhere near it.

"You want this card, well I suppose it was the only thing in the spot you were found." Yusho thought out loud.

He made his way across the room to his wife and placed the card in the infant's small hands. Much to his surprise, the baby began laughing as she clutched onto the card tightly. Now that he was close enough, he was able to examine the baby in his wife's arms. The baby seemed at most a few weeks old, already with a small tuft of green and red hair on top of her head. A small smile graced his lips as he saw the baby's red eyes shine with excitement and happiness as she continued to cling onto the card.

Yusho didn't say a word as he allowed his brown eyes to glance up into his wife's green ones. They didn't have to utter a single word to know what the other was thinking. If the baby was unwanted by whoever abandoned her, then they would gladly take it upon themselves to raise her as their own daughter.

"If's she going to be a part of the family, she'll need a name." Yoko noted as she watched the baby fall asleep in her arms.

The dark-haired man closed his eyes in thought with a simply hum escaping his mouth. After a few moments in thought, he reopened his eyes with a smile.

"How about Yuya?" he suggested.

The young woman nodded her head in agreement as her head absentmindedly stroked her daughter's head. Yuya Sakaki, she couldn't help but consider it a beautiful name that can bring a smile to anyone's face.

Seven years passed; Yoko was in the kitchen wearing a sea foam green shirt and brown pants, humming as she just finished up a fresh batch of pancakes.

"Yuya, breakfast is ready! Get it while it's still hot!" she called up.

Within seconds, the sound of small yet rapid foots filled the air. Yuya wore a bright grin on her face as she dashed down the last few steps with her short red and green hair bopping as she did so. Her pendulum necklace swung back and forth around her neck as she sat at the table, smoothing some of the wrinkles out of her red and white hoodie.  
Yoko couldn't help but smile at the bundle of joy that was her daughter. To her it always seemed like Yuya could easily light up a room with her smile.

She was prepping her own plate until she noticed the young girl was scarfing down the pancakes as fast as she could. She chuckled lightly as she sat down at the table, both warning the child to slow down and asking her why she was eating in a hurry. She rest her head on her hand when she heard the young girl state that she was to meet and play with Yaza at the playground. She only hummed in response as her thoughts drifted back to when she first met the young pink haired boy.

 _Yoko and Yusho stared in shock at their friend Skip. In the ginger-headed man's arms was a small baby boy with a bit of pink hair sleeping peacefully. They were stunned the baby seemed to have the same mysterious origins as their daughter. Left on a doorstep with no sign of a letter and only one object left with them. The difference being, instead of a Duel Monsters card, the only thing found with the baby boy was a silver bracelet with two rings that intersected each other and a single pink gem._

 _"With no one to care for him, I figured maybe I could." Skip explained, never taking his eyes off the child, "I'm not getting married at this rate, but I've always wanted to be a father."_

 _Yusho remained silent until he rested his hand on Skip's shoulder and replied "I think we understand the feeling."_

 _The man in the red tracksuit was confused until the sound of crying filled the air. He saw the expression of worry and surprise flash across Yoko's face before she left the room. Confusion filled his mind until he saw her return with a baby in her arms._

By the time Yoko was finished recalling the past, Yuya had already finished her breakfast. She giggled with a large grin, adjusting her orange goggles with a blue star in the right lens before calling out her goodbyes as she dashed out of the house. She was filled with excitement at the thought of playing with Yaza once more; she always enjoyed his company. There was a strange part of her in the back of her mind that strangely was annoyed with spending time with the young boy, but she always chose to ignore that part of her. After all, she didn't see why would she be annoyed by her best friend of all things.

It didn't take long for the seven year-old to finally reach the park. Seeing no sign of her friend's arrival, she chose to play on the swings until he did. Yuya hummed happily as she allowed herself to swing for a bit. Her red eyes were constantly searching the park for any sign of the pink-haired boy. Though much to her disappointment, he had yet to arrive. A sigh escaped her mouth as her swinging began to slow down, wondering why her friend had yet to show. But when she did this, she had finally taken notice of someone seated in the swing next to her.

Yuya stared in curiosity as the strange figure sat in silence. What confused her the most was that the figure was made up entirely of light. She couldn't make out any details except for what seemed to be the outline of pigtails.

Not wanting to be rude, the young girl smiled brightly as she greeted "Hi, I'm Yuya! What's your name?"

The figure jolted in surprise before turning their attention toward the child.

"You can see me?" the figure questioned with a feminine voice, revealing they were female.

Yuya nodded her head, her green and red hair bopping wildly with her nods. She didn't know who the figure was, but she couldn't help but feel a strange sense of familiarity toward her. Her grin grew wider as she began asking an assortment of questions, she wanted to know the woman's name and where she had come from. But once the questions left her mouth, her grin faltered slightly when the mysterious woman hadn't answered. Instead she saw the figure's hands slightly tighten around the chains to the swing.

Suddenly, the young girl found her attention stolen away by someone calling out her name. She turned to see a young boy with short pink hair and bright blue eyes running toward her, dressed in a red shirt and white shorts with his bracelet hanging around his neck by a string.

"Sorry I'm late, Yuya. Dad really wanted to make sure I got a big breakfast. Something about me being a growing boy that needs lots of food." Yaza admitted with a bashful grin, "Anyways, I saw you talking to yourself. Did I make you that bored while waiting for me?"

Upon hearing this, Yuya's cheeks puffed in frustration before answering "No! I was talking to this lady. She was sitting next to me and glowing."

She turned toward the swing to point out the mysterious figure, but when she did, she froze when she saw nothing but the swing that the figure once occupied. Her mouth opened and closed silently, barely acknowledging her friend voicing his confusion. It made her sad to see the figure had vanished without a word. Not only did she want to introduce the stranger to her best friend, but she also wanted to at least learn the figure's name. Seeing there was nothing else to do, a disappointed sigh slipped from her mouth as she turned back toward the young boy.

"Oh well. Since you're here, let's go play!" Yuya suggested, her happiness painted on her face once more.

Seeing Yaza happily nod his head in agreement, the two quickly dashed off to the nearest spot to play. The two played for hours, filling the air with their laughter. They had eventually moved onto a merry-go-round, both bursting into laughter as they spun. Yuya was having fun until, accidentally, the speed of the spinning caused her pendulum necklace to fly off her neck. The red and green-haired girl gasped in worry whilst jumping off the playground equipment, stumbling upon the landing due to the dizziness.

Her eyes frantically scanned the park, seeking out the location where her necklace could have landed. After a few moments of searching, she finally spotted it hanging from one of the branches of a very tall tree. She ran up to the tree and bit her lip nervously as the stared at the necklace hanging above her.

"Don't worry, Yuya. I'll go get help." Yaza ensured before taking off.

The young girl frowned with her red eyes remaining transfixed on the necklace. She didn't want to wait for help, she wanted her necklace back now. So despite knowing the dangers, the seven year-old began climbing the tree. Her heart raced in fear as she scaled up the tree. Any misstep could result in her fall and a serious injury. Gathering up her nerves the best she could, she balanced herself on one of the branches as she began reaching out one of her hands for the necklace. Yuya could hear the branch creaking under her weight, making her nervous to the possibility of it snapping. But this nervousness did not deter her, she was determined to get her necklace back.

Stretching out her arm as far as she could, she finally grabbed ahold of the necklace. Unfortunately, as soon as she did, the branch she was standing on snapped. Yuya screamed as she fell toward the ground, awaiting for the pain she would receive upon impact. But her body never did hit the ground, instead she felt herself caught by two firm arms. The young girl blinked her eyes, lifting her head up to see who had rescued her. Upon doing this, she found her red eyes staring into a pair of yellow eyes.

At that moment, Yuya felt a strange calmness come over her, prompting her eyes to droop a bit. Her body felt numb and cold, yet she didn't mind. She barely acknowledged the mysterious figure lowering her to the ground and placing her necklace around her neck once more. She tried to open her mouth to ask who they figure was; after all, in her eyes she was only staring at a figure made of shadows with yellow eyes. But before she could ask, she found herself silenced by the figure lightly pressing their fingers against her lips.

" **No questions, just rest now.** " the figure said with a deep masculine voice.

Once the words left the figure's mouth, Yuya's eyes began to close. Before she lost consciousness, she couldn't help but find the figure familiar in a way she did not know. She barely acknowledged the figure gently stroking the top of her head as the last bit of her awareness slipped away. She had no idea how long she remained unconscious until she felt herself being stirred from slumber by someone shaking her shoulder. With a groan, her eyes slowly opened to be greeted with the sight of worried glances painted on both Yaza's and her father's face.

"Yuya, what happened and why do you have your necklace back? I came as soon as Yaza had told me what happened, don't tell me you actually climbed the tree for it." Yusho asked out of concern.

The young girl looked around in a daze, remaining silent as she examined her surroundings.

Finally she answered in a quiet voice "I... I don't remember."

The dark-haired man instantly frowned at his daughter's response. He wanted to believe that she had simply fallen from the tree and the fall left her in a daze, but he couldn't help but feel there was more to it. Knowing there was no way he could get answers, he decided to shift his focus on snapping the young girl out of her daze. He smiled as he gently scooped Yuya up into one of his arms and used his freehand to grab ahold of Yaza's.

"I think I might have something you two would like to see, let's head on over to the school." he urged.

It only took him a few minutes to guide the two seven year-olds to the school known as "You Show Duel School." As the creator of the dueling school, he had made sure he live close by to it as to arrive quickly for classes and in case of emergencies. He remained silent as he set Yuya on the ground, promoting Yaza to sit down next to her, before booting up the arc system. With only a smile, he activated his duel disk and produced a single card.

"I'm not dueling anyone." Yusho explained as he flipped the card around, "Rather I wanted for you to see this very special card."

The instant he placed the card on his disc, the room was suddenly filled the color. Bright and happy smiling face along with colorful stars and flowers. Yuya's dazed eyes slowly filled with wonder as a bright smile formed on her own face. She laughed as she got to her feet. The young girl was filled with so much happiness, she couldn't help but hold out her arms and give herself a quick spin. Glancing over at her friend, she could see Yaza was now standing up and laughing in joy alongside her.

"There's my girl's smile, I was worried it had gone missing." Yusho chuckled as he scooped his daughter into his arms.

The green and red-haired girl giggled before she grabbed her father's top hat and placed it on her head. It would had fallen over her eyes due to being too large if it were not for the goggles on her head.

"I want to be just like you, dad!" she proclaimed with a bright grin, "I want to be an amazing dueltainer and brings smiles to everyone!"

"Me too, I want to bring people happiness through my duels too!" Yaza piped up happily, practically bouncing on his feet.

Hearing the two children's enthusiasm prompted the dark-haired man to break out into laughter. He couldn't help but feel proud of his daughter's proclamation. With how bright her smile was, he had no doubt that she would make a great dueltainer. His only hope was that nothing would steal away the girl's smile. No matter what happens in life, or how many loses she would receive whilst dueling, he wanted his daughter's smile to stay true until the very end. His brown eyes glanced down at Yuya's pendulum necklace that lightly swung back and forth around her neck.

"I know you will, Yuya," Yusho finally spoke up, pressing his forehead against the child's, "because you have a happy spirit within you. One you can share with others and indulge in yourself. Remember Yuya, happiness is like a pendulum. The more you share your happiness, the more you will receive from others in return. Same goes for you, Yaza."

The young girl's red eyes shined brightly in excitement as she hugged her father tightly. She wanted to follow his advice. No matter what, she was determined to become the greatest dueltainer the world had ever seen.


	2. Chapter 2 - Schooling

Chapter 2

Four years had passed. A now eleven year-old Yuya grinned brightly as she stood on top of a balance beam, dressed in a red and black shirt and brown shorts. She maintained her balance as she held out one arm while the other was neatly folded against her chest. From the corner of her eye she could see Yaza dressed in pink shirt and red shorts, staring up at her with a raised brow.

"Yuya, I thought you invited me over so we could practice dueling, not posing." he muttered with his cheek resting on the palm of his hand.

Yuya giggled in response before jumping off the balance beam and successfully landed on her two feet.

"Posing is just as important as dueling for a duetainer. I'm thinking of maybe trying some acts that involve balancing atop my monsters. So I need good balance if I want to wow audiences with my act. But you're right, I did ask you here so we can practice dueling." she said as she slipped her red duel disk on her arm.

Yaza rolled his blue eyes as he got ready to duel. For over the past four years, he had been helping his best friend to train to become dueltainers. They poured over an assortment of ideas, even drawing inspiration from Yusho Sakaki's performances. He smiled as he watch the girl happily announce her summoning of her monster, Performapal Hip Hippo. Over the years, he noticed how he found himself increasingly drawn to her laughter and smile. He found it quite strange, he even noticed the strange tugging in his heart whenever he was around the girl. He once had been confused by these strange feelings, but now he happily welcomed them whenever they came, considering them proof as his strong bond with Yuya.

The eleven year-old was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed the sly grin form on his friend's face. Before he could even react, he watched as the green and red-haired girl immediately hopped onto the hippo's back. Yaza's mouth hung open whilst watching the girl wink at him before making her hippo take off. Once it finally registered in his mind what happened, he grumbled as he chased after her.

"Yuya, this isn't dueling!" he shouted as he continued to pursue her.

But as the two friends continued to play around, something amiss was taking place in another dimension. An eleven year-old boy with purple hair held back with a yellow bandanna and green eyes was running as fast as he could. Glancing over his shoulder, he could see the professors chasing after him. He clenched his teeth in frustration, losing faith in the idea of out running them. Unfortunately, his fears had came true when he found himself cornered against two walls. Refusing to go down without a fight, he put on his red duel disk and activated it.

"Stephen, clearly you're being foolish about this. Now put away the duel disk and return to your room." one of the professors said.

"Like heck I will!" Stephen snarled, fishing his deck out of his white shorts and placing them inside the device on his arm, "I don't understand why I'm being locked up. Unlike Yuri, I didn't try to kill someone. So no, I will not return to my room!"

Anger flared through the young boy as he summoned his monster, Moonlight Blue Cat from his deck. Intensity filled his eyes as he watched the three professors summon their own monsters, Ancient Gear Soldiers. He couldn't help but scowl at their attempt to stop him. With his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, he initiated the attack. He was almost tempted to laugh as he easily subdued two of his opponents, thrilled to once again showcase his skills. Yet at the same time, it left him annoyed.

 _"They can clearly see I have superior skills thanks to those special classes. Yet why am I the one forbidden to assist with the invasion?"_ he thought whilst unconsciously clutching the front of his red shirt, _"It's not fair! They're still sending Yuri and that psychopath nearly killed someone!"_

For a brief moment, a frown flickered across the boy's face. His mind filled with the image of a purple and pink haired girl smiling brightly as she won her duel. He still couldn't understand what happened to her; he considered her current state a huge contrast to when he first met her. Unfortunately he knew he would never get the answer. Not only was he forbidden to speak to her, but she was now locked away in her room, viewed as the school's deadly monster. Knowing he needed to focus on the duel at hand, Stephen shook his head with determination painted on his face.

He opened his mouth to announce his next action, but suddenly found himself interrupted by a voice shouting "I summon DD Cerberus!"

Curious to who the newcomer was, the eleven year-old spun around to greeted with the sigh of a silver-haired young teen with purple eyes and red glasses standing up on the wall. He couldn't help but raise a brow at the teen's attire which consisted of a blue sweater with white diamonds and white pants. He knew the teen's appearance didn't match up with those of the students, leaving him to wonder where he came from. His curiosity was shattered when he saw the teen lean over the wall and hold out his hand.

"Quickly, take my hand!' the teen urged.

Stephen bit his lip, taking a quick glance back to the professors being held off by DD Cerberus. Knowing this was his only chance of escape, he leap up and grabbed ahold of the teen's hand, causing the silver bracelet with a single purple gem around his wrist to gleam in the sunlight. He grunted as he held on tight, his white boots scrapping along the wall. Within seconds, he was successfully pulled the top of the wall.

"Thanks for the help, now let's get out of here!" Stephen stated before taking off running.

"Wait, where exactly is here?" the teen called out as he ran after him.

But the purple-headed boy wasn't concerned with the teen's confusion. He knew the only way onto the island was through boat, so he was hoping the teen's mysterious appearance meant there was a boat he could escape to. So without a word, he made his way for the docks as fast as he could. It only took him a few minutes to arrive at his destination. But much to his disappointment and frustration, there was no boat in sight. With an audible snarl, Stephen spun around to the silver-haired teen standing behind him.

"You! How did you get to this place? I know you're not a student from Academia and you clearly didn't arrive here by boat. So how did you come here?" he demanded.

Before the teen even got a chance to answer, a stern voice spoke up "Reiji does not need to answer your questions, Stephen. Because you both will be returned where you belong."

Stephen's breath hitched with his hands unconsciously clenching. Slowly he turned to face a bald-headed man with pale-blue eyes and wearing a long purple coat.

"Father?! Why are you-" Reiji began to ask, still confused by the events unfolding.

Upon hearing the teen's word, the purple-headed boy interrupted by exclaiming "Father?! Professor Leo Akaba is your father?!"

Leo Akaba sighed in annoyance, having both to deal with Stephen's attempted escape and Reiji's arrival frustrated him to no ends. One he never wanted to leave the safety of the island, the other he wanted to never to stumble upon the hand. Without a word, he signaled for his Obelisk Forces to seize the two. His eyes narrowed as he watched the two boys struggle as they were grabbed by the men in blue uniforms. His pale-blue eyes stared down at the eleven year-old brought before him. A part of him hated seeing the boy hatefully glaring up at him; it was an expression he despised seeing on his face.

"Let him go, you can't force him to stay here!" the silver-haired teen shouted angrily, snapping the older man out of his thoughts.

He inhaled deeply whilst producing a small device that looked like a watch.

"Stephen is of no concern to you, Reiji." Akaba stated in a stern tone as he handed the device to one of the uniformed men, "It is crucial he remains on this island, no matter how much he wishes to aid Academia. He is too important to risk losing. It's something you cannot possibly understand."

He remained silent as he continued to watch his son struggle as the device was placed around his son's wrist. He did his best to block out his son's angry yells as he disappeared in a flash of blue light. With his son gone, he was left to turn his attention toward Stephen. Once again, he found himself frustrated to be greeted with an angry glare from the boy. Without a word, he singled for the soldiers to follow him. He refused to allow the child another attempt at escape, so he wanted to ensure this by personally escorting the boy back to his room.

Silence filled the air as they traversed the currently empty halls of Academia, the silence only occasionally broken by Stephen's grunts as he struggled to get out of the two men's grip. They continued walking until he heard someone call for him. The professor turned to see another Obelisk Blue soldier approaching him. He narrowed his eyes, based on the soldier's nervous posture he could tell the soldier had no good news to share.

"Sir, we have a problem.' the solider spoke up, confirming the man's suspicions, "It's time to deliver _her_ food, but everyone's too frightened to approach her. Even though she's been stripped of her duel disk, everyone still considers her too dangerous to approach."

"In other words, it's the monster's feeding time and no one wants to do it." Akaba sighed in frustration, "Just this once I will escort the food deliverer, both to show the monster has been rendered helpless and to punish the monster should she act up again. As much as I hate the idea, have Stephen brought along as well. I refuse to let him out of my sights until he is returned to his room."

Stephen's eyes widened in shock. He easily knew who the professor was referring to. This would be the first time in years he would encounter her face to face. A part of him was nervous, but he quickly shoved that part deep within himself. He refused to allow anyone to see any hint of fear on his face, especially to the one that was the source of his fears. Taking in a deep breath, his green eyes scanned the hallways as he was led by his arms. It wasn't long till he saw two guards standing in front of a door with an Academia student trembling with a tray of food in their hands.

His heart pounded as he watched Leo Akaba command the two soldiers to open the door. Making sure his face remained emotionless as possible, he remained silent as he was led inside the room behind the older man. Once inside, his face slightly slackened in shock. Before him, sitting on top of a bed was an eleven year-old girl with purple and pink hair, wearing a purple button-up shirt and white pants. He examined the the girl's face, stunned by her current reaction. He had imagined her to be distressed and full of rage. Instead he could only see a small sadistic smirk painted on her face and her purple eyes glinting in mischievousness.

"Oh, well isn't this a surprise. Both the professor and his favorite student paying me a visit. I didn't know a monster such as myself was worthy of such things." the girl said in a taunting tone.

Her smile grew a bit larger hen she noticed the disgusted look she received from the professor.

"Yuri, what's up with you?" Stephen voiced his opinion, "You were locked in here because you almost killed a student. I would have expected you to be mournful or at least angry about your situation, anything but joyful. How can be so happy and accepting of this?"

Yuri let out a giggle in response, amusement dripping off of it with a hint of sadism.

"So the poor teacher's pet doesn't understand, my what a shock." she replied in a sarcastic tone before immediately shifting to a deep and deadly one, "Haven't you heard, apparently I'm a monster. So I figured I might as well fulfill the audience's expectation of me. They see me as a monster, so a monster I shall be."

Much to the boy's disappointment, his body immediately trembled in fear from the girl's voice. He clenched his teeth when he noticed the girl grin sadistically at him with excited eyes, delighted by the boy's fear. For a few brief seconds, he swore he could have seen Yuri's purple eyes flash and take on a more reptilian appearance. Upon staring at those eyes, he hissed pain yet unable to clasp his hands against his head due to the guards still restraining his arms. For a few brief seconds, he saw the image of a monstrous looking man laughing with yellow reptilian-like eyes.

By the time his senses returned, he was suddenly greeted with the sight of Yuri being restrained as she was glaring at the professor. He blinked his green eyes in confusion, wondering what happened in those few seconds that his mind had slipped away.

"This is exactly why I wanted you nowhere near him! He can only be protected so much from the influence, I will not have him succumb like you have!" Leo Akaba snarled.

The purple and pinked hair girl couldn't help but scoff "Of course as soon as the professor's precious student experiences anything, the monster of the academy is immediately at fault. I don't know what you're babbling on about, but I will remind you that it was you that created this monster, not I. Because after all, we both know what you think of me. Yet still can't help but wonder why you seem to despise me so much."

Stephen opened his mouth, wishing to voice his confusion once more. Unfortunately he found himself silenced by Leo Akaba leaving the room and urging for the guards to bring him along. Before he was taken out of the room, he glanced back at Yuri who was still restrained as the third guard to prepared to feed her. Purple made contact with green, both showing anger toward the other with a hint of regret.

Back with Yuya, she laughed as she sat down on the ground. She had lost the duel, but she didn't mind. All the mattered to her was that she had created a fun filled experience. Glancing over to Yaza, she cracked a grin as he collapsed on the ground breathless.

"Can't believe... you made me... chase after your freaking... hippo." Yaza said, pausing to inhale deeply in an attempt to catch his breath.

"I know right, I think he'll make a great opening act. People would love seeing me start the show with him. Though I still need some work. I wish I had managed to summon Odd-Eyes Dragon during the duel, he would have been the greatest part of the act." she said as she pulled the card out of her deck.

Her heart fluttered as she stared at the card in her hand. She always felt a strange connection to the card, chalking it up to perhaps her being fond of it since she had it since she was a baby. Glancing over at Yaza, her smile grew slightly when she noticed the boy starring fondly at the card as well. She liked how he shared her joy and interest in Odd-Eyes Dragon, always feeling a strange tug at her very being at the thought of it. She remained silent as Yaza stood up and told her he would go fetch some water bottles.

Though the moment the boy left the room, she heard a voice say "Your deck could use some work if you want to bring out Odd-Eyes."

Twisting her body around, she found herself staring at a familiar figure of light.

"So you saw the whole duel? Well I guess you can help me work the kinks out of my deck." Yuya replied whilst rubbing the back of her neck bashfully.

Ever since her encounter in the park, the young girl had continued seeing the strange woman appear before her multiple times. She was confused as to why she seemed to be the only one that ever acknowledged her existence until her mother one day had came to the conclusion she was communicating with an imaginary friend. The eleven year-old never felt satisfied with that explanation, but accepted it nonetheless when she was unable to come up with an answer as to why she could only see the woman made of light.

Without a word, the glowing woman took the deck out of Yuya's duel disk and spread out the cards on the floor.  
Yuya watched in amazement as the figure started organizing the cards in two separate piles, one for cards that should be kept and the other for cards to be taken out. Within a few minutes, she saw her cards were now sorted into two neat piles.

"There, that should make summoning Odd-Eyes Dragon easier. One suggestion I make is to tribute your Performapal Hip Hippo, its monster effect always it to act as a two monster tributes rather than one." the figure suggested.

"Wow, this will help out a ton!" the green and red-haired girl exclaimed as she picked up her new deck, "How can I ever thank you for helping me?"

The figure smiled as she pressed one of her hands against the eleven year-old's cheek and continued "Just keep that joyful spirit of yours. Never let that light go out, Yuya."

As soon as those last few words left the figure's mouth, Yuya immediately heard Yaza call out for her. Turning to face him, she saw the pink-haired boy approaching her with two water bottles in his hand. Allowing her red eyes to glance to her side, she could see the figure was already gone. She sighed with a small smile on her face, wondering if perhaps her mother's theory of the figure just being an imaginary friend had some merit to it. Turning back to her friend, she accepted the water bottle before laying her Odd-Eyes Dragon on top of her new deck.


	3. Chapter 3 - Dreams

Chapter 3

Yuya's red eyes shined with excitement as she watched one of her father's duels. While it excited her that he was able to maintain his champion title, the part she always looked forward was the fun and wonder that filled the duel. Her mouth hung open in awe as she was practically bouncing in her seat. When she saw her father finally decrease his opponent's life points to zero, she couldn't help herself but jump out of her seat cheering. She was able to tell her father was able to pinpoint her easily, whether it be because of her jumping out of her seat or if she had shouted the loudest. Either way, her heart fluttered happily when she saw Yusho finish the duel with by bowing with a smile.

"Dad is so amazing, I can't wait to be a dueltainer and hopefully perform alongside him!" Yuya proclaimed to her mother who was seated next to her.

"I'm sure you both will be wonderful together. Now how about we meet up with your father and congratulate him." Yoko suggested.

Yuya happily nodded her head in agreement. It wasn't long till she finally saw her father talking to some reporters. She waited till the reporters had left before running up and hugging her father around his waist.

"You were amazing out there! You need to teach me some of your tricks sometime!" the young girl stated.

"A magician shouldn't give away his secrets," Yusho chuckled upon noticing his daughter's pout, "but there's nothing wrong with sharing them with a successor. I promise when you're ready, I'll teach you all I know when it comes to my acts."

Yuya felt her heart flip in excitement. She could already picture it; standing atop of her Odd-Eyes Dragon as the sound of glorious applause and cheers filled the stadium. She couldn't help but crave their feeling, awaiting for the day she would finally experience. Though strangely enough, while the image in her head was one she conjured from her imagination, she couldn't help but find it strangely familiar. Before she could ponder why, she was stirred out of her thoughts by her mother suggesting to celebrate with ice cream.

The eleven year-old laughed happily as she ran ahead her parents, encouraging them to quickly follow. The strange feeling still bothered her, but for the moment, it didn't matter. What mattered to her was her family and she hoped nothing would ever change that.

Meanwhile, sitting alone at a computer in an office building was Reiji Akaba. The young teen narrowed his purple eyes as he scoured through his father's computer files. His encounter with the mysterious boy in another dimension deeply puzzled him. He didn't know what his father wanted with the boy or as to why he was running a militarized school in another dimension. He kept searching until he finally stumbled upon a file titled "Soul Merge." Out of mere curiosity, he opened the file to find scientific journal entries written by his father.

Reiji furrowed his brows when it detailed strange things he couldn't understand such as soul fragments or the lack of certain memories. Either way it was clear that Stephen seemed to be the subject of these notes. Unable to make any sense of the file, the silver-headed teen continued onto the next file titled "Project: ARC" As he read through the files, his purple eyes widened in horror. The files listed plans of invasions and dimensions being merged. The teen's body began to tremble, not out of fear but rather anger.

"Why would he even think of such a thing? He'll be endangering us all." Reiji muttered bitterly to himself, "I have to stop this, for everyone's sake."

He wanted to stop his father before he could do any kind of damage. But to do that, he knew he needed a team. Preferably a team composed of the best duelist. Yet when it came to candidates, he knew immediately the first person he wanted to call.

Back with Yuya, she was munching away on her ice cream sundae. Like her mother suggested, they had gotten the icy treat to celebrate her father's latest victory. She only paused when her head started hurting from eating too fast. She groaned with her hands frantically rubbing her head in an attempt to relieve herself of the pain. She glanced up to see her father lightly chuckling whilst patting the top of her head.

"So when is going to be your next match?" she asked as the last bit of her brain freeze faded away.

"Tomorrow actually. My opponent is to be Sledgehammer." Yusho answered as he lifted his hand away.

He smiled as he watched his daughter beam in excitement. Unfortunately his attention was drawn away from his family by the sound of his cellphone ringing. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, his brows raised in surprise when his contacts listed the call coming from the Leo Corporation. He hadn't received a call from that company in years. It was because of this the dueltainer knew the call had to be important. He politely excused himself before walking away and leaving the ice cream shop. Once outside, Yusho answered the call, expecting to hear an older man's voice. Much to his surprise, he heard the voice of a young boy.

"You're Yusho Sakaki correct?" the voice on the phone asked, "My name is Reiji Akaba and I'm the son of Leo Akaba. It is crucial that you come speak with me at my father's company. It concerns my father and I knew I had to contact you since you have worked with him in the past."

"Why did something happen to Leo?" Yusho asked out of concern.

"No, my father is fine but he has done something terrible or at least plans to. We can discuss this further tonight. Just know this is something that will put everyone at risk, including those close to you." the teen replied in a stern tone.

With those final words, the call ended. The dark-headed man was stunned as confusion filled his mind. Many questions filled his mind. He hadn't heard from Leo Akaba in months and to learn apparently he planned to do something that would endanger everyone was worrying to him. He was momentarily stirred from his thoughts when he heard a familiar voice pipe up. Turning he could see Yuya standing in the doorway of the ice cream shop. It hurt him to see his daughter's red eyes filled with worry for him.

In an attempt to cheer up the red and green-haired girl, he gently pulled her toward him and knelt before her. Without a word, he took off her pendulum pendant. With a simple tap, the necklace started swinging back and forth in a perfect arc.

"Yuya, do you remember what I said about happiness?" he asked.

The eleven year-old nodded her head as she answered "Happiness is like a pendulum. The more happiness I share with others, the more happiness will come back my way."

Hearing this brought a small smile to Yusho's face as he replied "Good, I want you to always keep that in mind, no matter what. So even if you feel at your lowest, try to laugh and never let that spark of happiness and excitement fade."

Yuya resisted the urge to frown at her father's words. The way he was talking was almost as if he were leaving. But she quickly brushed these thoughts aside, honoring the older man's wish by placing the biggest grin she could muster on her face. Without a word, she watched as her father stood up, placed her necklace back around her neck, and took her by the hand, going back inside to reunite with her mother.

Later that night, as Yuya rested in her bed, her face was scrunched up in fear. In her dreams she found walking on a dark and lifeless landscape. All around her she could only see buildings lay in ruin. Suddenly, her heart pounded in fear when a ferocious roar filled the air. Out of pure instinct she began to run. She didn't know where she was going, all she knew was she needed to get as far away from the roar as possible. She kept running until she skidding to a stop with her eyes wide in fear. Before her was a giant black and green dragon with red glowing eyes.

The eleven year-old let out a frightened yelp as she stumbled backwards as the dragon tilted its head down toward her. She didn't know what to think. Apart of her wanted to get as far away as she could from the dragon, yet the other part of her strangely yearned to try to approach it. Due to the indecision, she remained frozen as the dragon moved its head closer to her. Suddenly she watched as the dragon turned into black smoke. Within seconds, the smoke took the shape of a humanoid figure. Yuya's breath hitched when the figure reached out and placed his hand on her forehead.

In that instant she felt a freezing cold rush throughout her body, leaving her both numbed and dazed. Her eyes almost seemed lifeless as she stared up at the figure's yellow eyes. The more she stared, the more a strange instinct grew inside of her. She felt strangely incomplete; a mere fragment that yearned for the pieces to become whole.

The instinct kept growing until suddenly she founded herself muttering "To become one."

Her eyelids were starting to slide close as she felt her surroundings began to fade. But before she could lose consciousness, reality snapped back to her in an instant when she heard someone shout her name. Still in a bit of a daze, she glanced upward to see the shadowy figure being held back by the mysterious woman made of light.

"Leave her alone! She doesn't deserve any of this!" the glowing figure shouted, restraining the figure the best as she could.

The shadowy figure simply hissed hatefully as he freed one of his arms. He flailed it desperately trying to make psychical contact with the young child sitting before him. He struggled against the glowing figure's grip, reaching out as far he could toward the red and green-haired girl.

Noticing she was losing her grip on him, the glowing figure shouted "Yuya, leave now! Wake up!"

The last thing Yuya saw was the mysterious woman tighten her grip around her opponent and a bright red light fill her vision. Within seconds, the eleven year-old sat up gasping, have awoken in a cold sweat. With trembling hands, she quickly scrambled for her card deck sitting on the nightstand next to her bed. She quickly sorted through the cards until she found the one she was seeking, Odd-Eyes Dragon. Her breath shuddered as she held the card tightly against her chest, immediately feeling calmer with it's presence. Once she had calmed down enough, she sighed as she laid back, her eyes staring up at the ceiling whilst still clinging tightly to the card in her hands.

"I guess I had another nightmare." she groaned with her grip tightening around her card, "Yet like all the others, I can't remember a single thing about it."

Her eyes squeezed shut as she focused on slowing her still rapidly beating heart, the only indicator she had even experienced a nightmare. She lay still and silently, allowing a calm to rush over her body until finally she felt herself slip into slumber. But the moment her consciousness faded, she failed to see the figure made of light appear by her bedside.  
The mysterious woman remained silent as she sat down next to the girl and pressed her hand against Yuya's forehead. Much to her relief, she noticed the small smile forming on the green and red-haired girl's face as all tension faded from her body.

"Pleasant dreams, Yuya." the figure said with a few soothing words before disappearing once more.

The next day, Yuya was beaming with excitement as she slid down the fire escape pole. Once she reached the bottom, she saw her mother finishing up a fresh batch of pancakes and Yaza seated at the table already eating. She wasted no time quickly taking her seat and trying to scarf down the pancakes as fast as she could.

"You seem pretty excited." the pink-haired boy noted with his mouth full.

The young girl simply nodded her head rapidly as she continued eating. Taking a quick glance around the room, she didn't see any sign of her father. She quickly assumed it was because he had probably left early to prepare for his duel against Sledgehammer. Within minutes she managed to finish the last bit of her breakfast and wash it down with a full glass of orange juice. Having already finished, her hands tapped repeatedly against the table top when she noticed her best friend had still yet to finish his breakfast.

Yaza couldn't help but snicker lightly at his friend before jabbing a fork full of pancakes in his mouth. Admittedly he was just as excited to watch Yusho's duel but chose to conceal it. The idea of watching the excitement unfold with cheering crowds seemed alluring yet strangely nostalgic to him. He wished to one day to be the reason for those cheers, just as much as Yuya. After a few minutes he finally finished up the last of his pancakes. He smirked a bit when he noticed his friend give him an impatient glare for making her wait.

"What can I say, I'm a growing boy." Yaza chuckled, recalling that being his excuse four years ago.

Yuya simply rolled her eyes as her own laugh managed to escape her mouth. It wasn't long till finally she urged her friend and mother out of the house. She couldn't wait to see her father duel yet again. Not only was she confident that he would defeat Sledgehammer, she also believed her father would manage to bring smiles with his performance. Before she knew it, they had already arrived at the dueling stadium. The eleven year-old nearly held her breath in anticipation, waiting for the moment her father finally revealed himself.

She found herself surrounded by cheers as Sledgehammer entered the stadium. All that remained was to await her father now. But much to her confusion, Yusho did not appear. Yuya felt her heart drop as the wait for the dueltainer turned from seconds to minutes. The green and red-haired girl could feel the crowd mutter in confusion. Daring to glance over at Yaza, she could see the same worry dancing across his blue eyes.

Suddenly the mutters was shattered by Sledgehammer proclaiming "Ha, the coward refuses to show! He was too intimidated by me! That means he forfeits the match and I'm the new champion."

In that instant, the young girl could hear the crowd shout in anger, agreeing that the dueltainer was merely a coward. Her teeth clenched tightly as anger flared through her, the words of her father momentarily forgotten. She wouldn't let this dueslist drag her father's name through the mud. Without even thinking, she darted out of her seat, ignoring her mother's shouts as she ran down the bottom of the seating area. Fury and heartbreak shined in her bright red eyes as she leaned over the wall the best as she could,

"My father is not a coward!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, prompting everyone to direct their attention to her, "He'll be here! Until then, I'll be your opponent!"

She tried to climb over the wall only to be held back by her mother. Yuya was frantic. She cried and screamed, desperately flailing her limbs as she tried to free herself of the blonde-headed woman's grip. Unfortunately her efforts proved to be fruitless as her mother managed to successfully pull her out of the seating area. Seeing it was too late to do anything else, the eleven year-old finally collapsed into her mother's arms with heartbroken sobs. She knew her father told her not to cry, but rather laugh at times she felt her lowest. Yet sadly, the young girl couldn't find herself staying true to those words for the moment. So she continued to cry.

Yaza frowned as he watched the sight of his best friend crying in her mother's arms. He had never seen her so broken down before. He had to wonder what could have possibly happened to Yusho to cause his absence. He only hoped the older man would soon appear to explain himself. For now, he wanted to comfort Yuya. Without a word he approached the sobbing girl and knelt down next to her, resting his hand on her shoulder. He felt a pang shoot through his heart when Yuya lifted up her head, revealing her tear filled eyes.

He couldn't explain it but the sight of his friend in such a broken state made his heart ache in pain. It was almost like he could feel a bit of the despair that currently filled her heart. He opened his mouth, considering trying to give words of comfort. But he didn't get the chance, instead he found himself silenced when the young girl pulled him into a tight hug. His breath hitched when he felt her bury her face into his shoulder with her tears staining his shirt. With feelings overwhelming him, he clung onto his friend tightly as his own tears began to form.

That night, Yuya lay in her bed with her hands both tightly clutched around her pendulum and her Odd-Eyes Dragon card. Her father had never returned, leaving both her and her mother devastated. The whole city had labeled her father as a coward that fled from his duel, a fact that pained her. She only wanted the chance to finally prove them wrong; the chance to restore her father's name and everything he stood for.

She remained lost in her thoughts until she heard a dark voice say " **Humans can be so cruel. All they want is to be entertained.** "

Frightened by the voice, Yuya turned her head to find herself staring into hauntingly familiar yellow eyes. The instant she made eye contact, her fear faded away and her senses became numb.

" **They hurt you by calling your father a coward, but they don't care. They only want to be entertained.** " the shadowy figure stated in a bit of a hateful tone, gently brushing some of the girl's red and green-hair behind her ear.

The eleven year-old didn't try to move or even flinch from the figure's touch. In the back of her mind, she almost could have swore she heard a female voice frantically calling out for her. But unfortunately, she was too tired to tell. Her mind felt like it was in a daze as she watched shadowy figure reach out and press his hand against her face, his thumb slowly and gently rubbing against her cheek. Once again the strange sense of familiarity rushed over her.

" **You know I can help you.** " the figure stated in a soothing tone, " **When the time comes, I can give you the power you need to grant your wish. You can please the audience just like you wanted but it requires your surrender and trust in me and me alone. Will you accept my help?** "

Yuya stared up blankly at the shadowy figure. She wanted to help her father in any way she could. So without any hesitation, she slowly nodded in agreement. Once she had agreed, the shadowy figure sat down on her bed. She didn't even try to struggle as she felt him secure his arms around her waist and pull her body into his lap. The feeling of numbness and cold rushing throughout her body increased greatly. She barely acknowledged the figure resting his chin on top of her head.

" **Rest now, Yuya. Leave everything to me.** " he whispered in a soothing yet haunting tone.

Yuya didn't resist as her eyes slowly closed; her mind remaining numb as she slipped into a dreamless slumber.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Invasion

Chapter 4

Yuri narrowed her eyes as she walked alongside a few Obelisk Blue soldiers. The day of Academy's invasion of the XYZ Dimension had arrived and she had been sent out with the other elite students to imprison people's souls with cards. She sighed in annoyance as she adjusted the purple mask designed like her dragon on her face. She felt the object was tacky and ridiculous, but unfortunately was forced to where it due to the Professor's orders. Not only did the mask help hide her identity from the citizens of the XYZ dimension, it also reminded her fellow students to steer clear of her due to her ruthless dueling nature.

She still found it ridiculous she was required to conceal her identity. In her mind, no one from the XYZ dimension would know her anyway, so she didn't see what would be the point of hiding her face away from those that had never seen it. Her thoughts shifted away from her annoyance when she managed to spot a couple of people trapped by the Academia forces. With an excited glint in her eyes, she activated her duel disk. The battle was swift much to her disliking, but it still filled her with thrill to see the cards now scattered at her feet.

"Now if only I were actually treated to a challenge, then my happiness would be complete." Yuri sighed with the shrug of her shoulders.

She was about to move on to search out her next set of victims until she heard a voice say "So you're the so called 'monster' the others keep mentioning."

Turning toward the source of the voice, she was greeted with a boy around her age with curly red hair and green eyes leaning against a nearby wall. She couldn't help but raise a brow at the nonchalant aura he expressed to her. It both confused and annoyed her, being more use to her fellow students cowering in fear from her presence.

"And you thought it was wise to confront me about this why exactly? You know I could kill you if I wanted to." she deadpanned, expressing her disinterest in the conversation.

"Wow, who would have imagined your tongue is just as venomous as your Predaplants. Name's Dennis McField by the way." the red-head announced giving a slight bow, "Obelisk Blue rank student of Academia."

Once again, Yuri was stunned at the lack of fear Dennis showed her. Without a word, her eyes slowly roamed his body, examining him in attempt to gain answers. She resisted the urge to sneer at his odd attire consisting of an orange jacket with only one sleeve, a blue long-sleeved shirt, and black pants. She wouldn't have believed his claims of being an Academia student if it weren't for the fact he possessed knowledge about her existence. But she could care less for what she considered an odd boy before her, she would rather return to her current task. Not even wishing to bid the teen farewell, the purple and pink-headed girl shoved past him, ready to seek out more people to card.

Yet before she could even take a few steps away, a sly yet singing tone filled her ears "Oh and here I thought you would be interested where you can finally find a challenging duelist."

Immediately she stopped, her eyes wide with interest. Without any hesitation, she spun around on her heel; a pleasant yet unnerving smile painted on her face.

"A challenging duelist you say? For your sake you better not be lying, I'm called the Academy's monster for a reason." she stated with the click of her tongue.

"Trust me, I have no reason to lie to you of all people." Dennis replied with a wink.

Deciding to trust the eccentric boy, she silently followed him. As she walked, she allowed her eyes to wander about her surroundings. Everywhere she looked she could see people screaming as they fled, buildings crumbling whilst in flames, and hundreds of Chaos Ancient Gear Giants soaring through the air. The sight of the destruction prompted her heart to flutter with pride. She felt exhilarated to be a part of the chaos. For a few brief seconds, the image of a ferocious black dragon attacking a city flash through her mind. Momentarily she squeezed her eyes shut with a small groan, giving her head a small shake.

"Alright, we're here." Dennis announced, prompting the eleven year-old to snap up her head.

In the distant, she could see a girl that appeared to be the same age as her running through the ruins of the city, holding tightly onto the hands of two small children. Yuri frowned when she felt a small tug on her soul, it was much similar to the tug she always felt around Stephen except much weaker.

Drawing her thoughts away from her mysterious feelings, she asked whilst folding her arms over her chest "I'm assuming you want me to duel that girl. Is there any special any special reason why it must be me?"

"Nothing I can reveal but let's say it will make the professor very happy if she's brought in and I figured you were the best person for the job, just know this job requires her alive." the red-head replied.

Yuri's lips formed into a slight sneer; an audible growl escaping her mouth. She despised when other's told her how to duel, considering it similar to the professor's treatment. Regardless, she still craved the possibility of a thrilling duel. She ran her tongue over her lips in anticipation as she summoned her Predaplant Lilizard. It filled her with glee to see the girl corned instantly cornered by the monster. Her eyes flashed in sadistic pleasure to see her prey trapped with no where to run. Though before she could make her next move, from the corner of her eye, she spotted a duel monster with a purple cloak swing its sytche toward her.

With clenched teeth and fists, the eleven year-old quickly jumped back, successfully evading the attack. Her purple eyes quickly scanned her surroundings, searching for the one who had attacked her. It only took her a few seconds for her sights to settle on a boy with black spiky hair and purple bangs. Her eyes widened as her heart started pounding at top speeds; her mind spiraling into disbelief. The boy before her had an exact replica of her own face.

"Ruri, get out of here! I'll hold them off!" the boy shouted, his gray eyes narrowed hatefully at his opponent.

"But Yuto-" Ruri, began to say, only to find herself interrupted by Yuto urging her to run once more.

She bit her lip nervously before tugging on the children's hands, quickly leading them to safety. She could only hope the horrible fate of being imprisoned in a card wouldn't befall her friend.

"You know you're either really brave or really stupid to challenge me to a duel," Yuri taunted as she reshuffled her deck, "perhaps even both. I just hope you'll be as good as the challenge I was promised."

For the moment, the purple-headed girl could careless if the mysterious boy shared her face. Her confusion was overshadowed by her anxious nature to begin the duel; a nature that seemed to increase in the presence of her opponent.

"I don't care what you think of me." Yuto snarled in reply while reshuffling his deck as well, "What I do care about is my friends. If I can buy them enough time to get to safety, then I will have done my job."

Having both shared their words, the duel finally began. Yuri carefully studied the black and purple haired boy as he took the first turn. It intrigued her to see him simply set five cards before ending his turn. She considered it a reckless strategy, but a strategy that had captured her interest nonetheless. Eager to continue the duel, she drew her next card. Glancing down at her cards, a cunning yet excited grin managed to form on her face.

"I activate the spell card Twin Twisters, by discarding one card from my hand I can destroy two of your spell/trap cards." she announced whilst placing one of her cards in her graveyard slot.

Upon destroying two of the boy's facedown cards, she noticed how his gray eyes seemed to narrow in determination. She couldn't help but grin at this sight. She couldn't explain it, but the determined glare on the boy's face seemed familiar to her and it wasn't just because he shared her face.

"I activate my spell card The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil. With this effect I can Special Summon as many of these cards as Normal Monsters. So I summon three of these monsters in defense position." Yuto stated as three knights on horses appear before him.

Yuri giggled in delight, growing more excited by the second. She found it odd how a boy she just met managed to intrigue her more than any other opponent. She found herself strangely drawn to him, amazed by his dueling tactics and spirit. She was drawn to such elements as the tug on her soul increased. Despite seeing the three knights only had a defense of three-hundred, there was no doubt in her mind the eleven year old still had more tricks up his sleeve. Continuing her turn, she managed to summon Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio.

Her eyes flashed, taking on their more reptilian appearance with her hand hovering over the graveyard slot. She barely acknowledged what she was doing until she saw the Monster Card Darlingtonia Cobra slip out from the graveyard slot. Her brows furrowed together in confusion as her hand placed the card on her duel disk without thought.

 _"Is this really the wisest choice? I could easily yet dispatch those three monsters of his with them only having a measly defense of three-hundred. I want to say no, but with him, I feel like this is right."_ she thought to herself.

Her eyes darted to her deck as it shuffled a new card to the top of her deck. Silently she pulled it out and flipped it around, revealing the card as none other than the spell card Polymerization, brought forth from Darlingtonia Cobra's monster effect. Her heart beat faster in anticipation; her nails digging deeply into the palm of her left hand. At the back of her mind, she could hear a dark voice urging her to use the spell card. Unable to resist the urge growing in her heart, she activated the card.

"Darlingtonia Cobra and Orprys Scorpio, combine together to create my deadly flora!" Yuri chanted, thrusting her folded hands downward in front of her chest, " I Fusion Summon! Come forth, poison dragon with hungering fangs! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!"

In a flash of light, her two monsters combined, becoming a giant purple and black dragon with green eyes. The eleven year-old couldn't help herself as a sadistic grin grew on her face. She was worried about bringing out her ace monster too early, but those thoughts no longer mattered to her. She turned to her opponent, ready to spout her taunting words now that her ferocious and fearsome dragon was on the field. But much to her surprise, she no longer saw the face of anger of Yuto's face. Instead she saw him staring up at her dragon, his gray eyes wide and what seemed to be the slightest smile on his face.

Unconsciously her hand drifted over to her chest; her fingers tightly clutching the fabric of her purple uniform as her heart pounded painfully in her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut with shuddering breaths escaping her mouth.

Suddenly without warning, the words "I end my turn." slipped forth from her.

Yuri's eyes snapped open in shock. She hadn't wanted to end her turn, confusing her as to why the sentence managed to grace her lips. Looking up at the purple and black haired boy, he could see she was just as shocked with her actions. Her teeth clenched in anger, hoping that her mysterious decision wouldn't cost her the duel.  
Seeing it was now his turn, the stern expression returned on Yuto's face as he announced his draw. His mind was filled with confusion. While he knew the girl attacking with her dragon wouldn't stop what he had planned, it still filled him with curiosity and suspicion.

Deciding to ignore his feelings for the moment to focus on winning the duel, he declared "The conditions have been met! I use my two Level Four Shadow Veil to construct the Overlay Network!"

In that instant, the two knights on horses changed into purple light, merging together in the center of a glowing mass of energy.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose its treacherous fangs! Descend now! XYZ Summon!" Yuto shouted as the energy began taking shape, "Rank Four! Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!"

With a fearsome roar, a black and dark purple dragon with yellow eyes appeared. Darkness radiated off of it as it roared at Starving Venom, prompting it to roar back. Suddenly, without warning, Yuto gasped as he felt a strong tug on his soul. He screamed as his head began to pound and throb with pain that only seemed to worsen with each second. His screams continued as he dug his hands into his hair, clutching his head tightly. But as he did this, he failed to see he wasn't the only one in pain.

Yuri kept screaming as her eyes were wide from pain, fear, and confusion. Her mind felt like something was clawing to escape, desperate to escape its confinement. But no matter how much it struggled, she could feel something holding it back, preventing it from tasting the freedom it craved. Unable to handle the pain any longer, the purple-headed girl's eyes rolled back as her body collapsed on the ground. But once she passed out, she was unable to see Yuto had passed out at the exact same time.

Dennis blinked in shock from his hiding place, shocked at the scene that unfolded before him. Before he had even a chance to comprehend what had happened, the sound of running reached his ears. Ducking lower behind some large rubble, he managed to see Ruri rushed over to Yuto along with a young teenage boy with dark green and blue hair.

"Yuto!" Ruri cried out as she dropped to her knees and began frantically shaking the eleven year-old's shoulders, "Please Yuto, wake up! We can't lose you too!"

Much to her relief, the boy in her grasp creaked open his eyes. But upon doing this, she frowned when she noticed something different about his eyes. Instead of the kind and brave gray eyes she had grown to love, she could only see emotionless reptilian-like gray eyes. Her fingers slightly dug into the boy's shoulders, her worry growing as her friend stared up at her with no reaction. Seconds passed by that felt like agonizing minutes in her anxiety as the two remained in silent.

Finally Yuto broke the silence by whispering in a weak yet slightly confused tone "Ray?"

Ruri's breath hitched as she felt a strange tug on her soul. Unfortunately before she could ask any questions, the purple and black-haired boy groaned as he slipped into unconsciousness once more.

Knowing it wasn't safe to stay out in the open whilst battles still raged on, the purple-headed girl glanced up at her companion and said "Shun, we can't stay here. Help me carry Yuto. We need to keep moving."

Shun nodded his head in agreement. Gently nudging the young girl to the side, he managed to lift up his friend's unconscious body, carrying him bridal style in his arms. Without another word, he and Ruri took off, hoping to avoid anymore future encounters with Academia.  
Seeing the three were gone, Dennis finally emerged from his hiding place. Deciding to gain answers, he approached the motionless girl on the ground. He pulled off her mask and began to examine it, suspecting the professor had implanted a device in it.

He flipped the mask around in his hands a few times, carefully examining every inch of it. But no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find any sign of a device, leaving him to wonder why the girl screamed in pain once Yuto had summoned his dragon. His thoughts were shattered when he noticed a few Obelisk Blue soldiers approach him. He could see the surprise painted on their faces behind their masks, both shocked to find him so close to the girl they considered a monster and the fact said monster was lying on the ground unconscious.

"What... what happened to her?" one of the soldiers finally spoke up, taking a pause to gather their nerves.

"Hard to tell." Dennis answered as he shrugged, "Though I suppose that will have to be pushed aside. From what I've heard, the professor will not be happy to hear Yuri has been harmed. I believe he has made it clear that she is to be unharmed. So it would be wise to have her taken back to Academia and treated in the infirmary."

The Obelisk Blue soldiers were hesitant, but they all feared suffering from of the wrath their leader. With little choice in the matter, one of them approached the unconscious girl and began to pick her up. They froze in fear when the girl groaned and slightly shifted. Fortunately, much to their relief, Yuri did not open her eyes. Once the soldier had her secured in their arms, they approached their companions and teleported back to the Fusion Dimension.

Meanwhile, in the depths of her mind, Yuri found herself in complete darkness. Her fingers raked through her hair with shaky breathes escaping her mouth. She was both frightened and thrilled at what she had experienced. She remained lost in her thoughts until she felt two hands press against her face and tilt her head upward. She gasped out in surprise whilst allowing her purple eyes to stare upward, causing her to stare into a pair of yellow eyes. Numbing pleasure ran over her body as her hands latched onto the shadowy figure's wrists, not wishing to let go.

" **You felt it didn't you? Through the pain, you could feel it calling out to you.** " the figure noted.

Yuri slowly nodded her head before pressing it against the figure's chest. She couldn't explain it but the figure made her feel calm and happy, something she desperately craved from her life in Academia. Her smile only grew only with a relaxed sigh slipping from her lips upon feeling the figure wrap his arms around her.

" **Do you know what you must do?** " the figure asked.

The eleven year-old nodded her head once more. Seeing the figure had no more questions, she relaxed in his touch, allowing her mind to drift away into peaceful slumber.


	5. Chapter 5 - Mask of the Fool

Chapter 5

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Yuya proclaimed whilst seated on her Performapal Hip Hippo.

Three years had passed and Yuya was now fourteen years-old. She smiled brightly; dressed in a red shirt, green pants, and a white school jacket hanging on her shoulders. Her pendulum neck swayed lightly around her neck whilst she placed her spell card on her duel disk.

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Hippo Carnival!" she shouted happily as three colorful hippos dressed like showgirls appeared before her, "It's Showtime!"

Watching the duel unfold from behind a window was none other than fourteen year-old Yaza. His brow twitched in annoyance as he folded his arms over his chest clothed in a white shirt, red tie, and blue vest; his bracelet now adorning his wrist jingling lightly.

"For the last time Yuya, this isn't dueling!" the pink haired teen grumbled as he slammed his hands down on the control panel.

Unfortunately, he slammed his hands down too hard, prompting sparks and smoke to shoot out from the machine. He yelped in worry, quickly shielding his face before the screen managed to blow up. With his ears still ringing from the explosion, he was barely able to make out his father's panicking. The next thing he knew, he was greeted with the sound of Yuya's yell. He bit his lip nervously, immediately knowing the cause for the yell. By him accidentally destroying the Arc Computer system, he had deactivated the Action Field. Deciding to confirm his suspicions, he glanced out of the window.

Little to his surprise, he managed to see the green and red-haired girl lying face first on the ground while twitching in pain. A nervous grin managed to creep on his face as he activated the comm system.

"Sorry about that, Yuya!" he apologized.

Yuya grunted as she tried to move into the sitting position. She hadn't been prepared for both her hippo and the building she was on top of to suddenly disappear, resulting in her crashing to the ground. Though before she could move into a sitting position, from the corner of her eye she managed to spot her audience, a mother and her young son. Still eager to entertain them, she stuck out her tongue with her hands fanned out on the sides of her head, wriggling her fingers whilst doing so.

"You know that's only going to encourage them to laugh at you rather than with you." a voice pointed up.

The fourteen year-old tilted her head upward to stare up at a large built teenage boy with dark hair and wearing a white school uniform. She didn't answer, instead simply smirking in reply. Without a word, she grabbed a hold of the teen's hand, allowing a small surprised yelp to escape her mouth when he pulled her to her feet with ease.

"Relax Gongenzaka, those are still smiles in my book. So I would count that as an accomplishment no?" she stated with her hands resting behind her head.

Without another word, she hummed happily as she left the room. But as she was leaving, without letting anyone notice, she slipped her orange goggles over her eyes. With her eyes hidden away from the word, she was allowed to unleash the emotions boiling underneath the surface. Her lips pursed as her eyes narrowed both in anger and sadness. She didn't care if she appeared as nothing more than a laughingstock to the audience; she was happy to do it so long as it shifted their thoughts away from her father.

Memories filled her mind of children mocking both Yusho and her for defending him. She could easily recall the whispering that had surrounded her at the time as she kept her head bowed and her eyes hidden by her goggles. She bit her lip hard at the memories, banishing them from her mind in an instant. She refused to cry and grieve anymore. If she couldn't convince anyone to have faith in her father's teachings through words, then she intended to do so with actions. Taking in a sharp breath, she finally pulled up her goggles and wore a bright smile.

She remained in silence as she entered the school's waiting room, sighing as she slouched down in one of the chairs. She could only grin as she watched an annoyed Yaza enter the room with his father trailing behind him.

"For the last time dad, I didn't mean to! Seriously, I'm surprised it didn't break sooner." the pink-haired teen grumbled, "Heck even a sneeze would have broken that fossil of a machine."

"That fossil was all we could afford!" Skip exclaimed, "Without the Action Field, students here may consider leaving! Not even my hot-blooded coaching would be able to convince them to stay and without students, You Show Duel School is done for."

The teenage boy sighed as he rolled his blue eyes. While he still believed his father was overreacting, he did understand his worries. The dueling school hadn't been doing well when it came to funds ever since Yusho Sakaki's disappearance, risking possible shutdown if the necessary funds aren't gathered. He pursed his lips at the thought of the school shutting down. As much as he didn't want to admit, a part of him felt resentful toward the dueltainer, angry at the pain he had caused with his disappearance. Though he never intended to tell his friend this, knowing it would only anger her. With his mind recalling the teenage girl, he turned toward Yuya to see her struggling not to laugh at the sight before her.

Annoyed that she was finding amusement in the situation, Yaza crossed his arm with narrowed eyes as he stated "You know Yuya, only reason I accidentally broke the Action Field was because you refused to take the duel seriously. I know you like to bring smiles to the audience but this is ridiculous!"

"Meh, I don't see the problem. Maybe you just need to admit you might have a short fuse if something like this managed to make you accidentally break the Arc System." Yuya replied, lowering her goggles over her eyes with a grin.

Her grin grew when she noticed the teenage boy's brow twitching while his hand was reaching for his signature white paper fan that lay on the table. Not giving him the chance to hit her, she laughed as she darted out of the chair, just in time to avoid the fan slapping down. Unfortunately, because of doing this, she failed to see where she was going. She yelped as her face collided into something solid. With a groan, the green and red-haired girl pulled off her goggles, revealing the two red circles they left behind from the collision. She took a moment to rub her face before finally noticing Gongenzaka standing in front of her.

"You shouldn't brush off Yaza's words." the large teen stated in a stern tone, "We both hate to see how you refuse to put your heart in all your duels. Your father was an amazing duelist who could bring smiles to hundreds with his performances. Maybe you should consider following his example instead of portraying yourself as the laughable fool."

Yuya's grin never left her face as she rested her hands behind her head, giving off an aura of complete carefree bliss.

"Oh I don't know about that, everyone sure thinks my dad is a laughable fool after his disappearance three years ago." she commented.

Both Gongenzaka and Yaza were stunned by the their friend's words. Never did they imagine she would speak so casually about how the public viewed her father, especially when it caused her a great amount of depression over the past three years. Though before anyone could say anything else, the door to the waiting room opened up. Everyone was stunned when a tall dark-haired man with a small mustache enter the room, wearing a Cheshire Cat smile.  
Yuya did her best to stifle her laughter, finding the man's attire of a yellow and black striped suit with a big red bow and orange glasses to be quite bizarre.

Finally deciding to speak up, Skip asked "Uh can I help you?"

"Oh forgive me for coming in here unannounced!" the strange man replied whilst rubbing his hands together, "My name is Nico Smiley. I'm the manager-slash-promoter of the current champion of Action Dueling, Sledgehammer."

Yuya felt like her heart stopped as her breath hitched. Sledgehammer, the man who branded her father as a coward; a name she thought she would never hear outside of promotions and mocking taunts.

"Sledgehammer is our poster duelist at LDS," Nico explained as he took a sweet, "and we are extending an invitation to Yuya Sakaki here to appear with him on Fan Appreciation Day."

The fourteen year-old girl's smile was no where in sight as she sat down across from the promoter.

"So..." she began in a stern stone, a striking difference from the cheerful aura she expressed moments ago, "When you say you want me to appear with him, you mean you want me to duel him.

The mustached man nodded before replying "Just think of the publicity! The daughter of Yusho Sakaki dueling against the man that claimed the Championship title. The wish you made three years ago will finally be granted in front of a live audience! We've even already created the advertisements for the event."

The teenager remained silent as she was handed a flyer. Her eyes narrowed when she easily spotted the picture of herself smiling alongside the picture of Sledgehammer with a stern glare.  
Yaza frowned at the state his friend was in. He couldn't imagine what kind of thoughts had to be racing through her mind; all he knew was that they had to be emotions of conflict. Biting his lip, he considered reaching out to the teenager. Unfortunately before he could, he managed to catch wind of his father being bribed for their cooperation with the offer to gift the school the latest Arc System free of charge. The pink-haired teen's brow twitched with his teeth clenched. Without warning, with the paper fan still tightly clenched in his hands, he smacked it against his father's head.

"You can't just accept bribery like that!" the teen snapped, "You know what this means to Yuya!"

"Yaza's right." Gongenzaka agreed with a nod, "What's important is how Yuya feels."

But when the two turned to look at the teenage girl, they were only greeted with an empty seat.

Yuya sighed as she made her way over to the bridge, her mind filled with conflicting thoughts. With ease, she managed to lift herself onto the bridge's railing with her legs dangling over the edge. A part of her was desperate to jump at the chance and finally restore her father's good name; yet the other part of her was frightened. What if she wasn't good enough to defeat Sledgehammer; what if she only makes herself look like a fool, these thoughts troubled her deeply. Her body shuttered as she squeezed her eyes shut, thankful for her goggles hiding them as usual.

She remained lost in her thoughts till she noticed a light tapping on her chest. Tilting her head downward, she could see her pendulum necklace lightly swinging. Without hesitation, she pulled the necklace off and held it in front of her face. With just a simple tap, the pendulum began swinging in a perfect arc. Her red eyes remained fixated on the swinging crystal as she recalled her father's words about pendulums and happiness.

Suddenly without warning, she heard a voice whisper in her ear. " **Don't worry, leave everything to me.** "

The red and green-haired girl gasped as she twisted her body to face the owner of the voice. But no matter where she looked, she couldn't see anything. Brushing it off as her imagination, her gaze returned to the swinging pendulum. As she watched it continue to swing, her mind was finally made up. She knew what she had to do.

Later that day; Yaza, Gongenzaka, and Skip rushed to the dueling stadium. When the teenage girl had failed to return to the school, the three of them knew instantly she had accepted the offer to duel Sledgehammer. They managed to arrive just in time to see the audience within the stadium cheer as the Action Field featuring a large castle materialized before their very eyes.

"You know this is great, even if Yuya doesn't win, we're still going to get the new Arc system." Skip noted with a grin.

Unfortunately his comment earned him another whack across the head from his son's paper fan.

"I don't think Yuya would share your sentiment dad." Yaza grumbled out of frustration.

The trio fell silent as the audience began cheering for the champion's arrival. Glancing over at the castle, they immediately spotted Sledgehammer standing on the highest balcony. Knowing that Yuya would appear next, they awaited for arrival as Nico Smiley announced her name. But much to their shock, they saw no sign of Yuya entering the stadium.  
Yaza clenched his teeth as audience members started making hateful comments about the young duelist, believing she had refused to show much like her father. He was about to make a remark until Gongenzaka stopped him, noting that he needed to look back at the castle.

The pink-haired teen was confused about his friend's request, but obeyed it nonetheless. Though the moment he redirected his attention back to the castle, his blue eyes widen in shock. Behind Sledgehammer he could see a female clown mocking the champion by sticking out her tongue and wiggling the fingers of her fanned out hands that were resting on the side her face. His breath hitched in shock, the gesture he was seeing the clown perform was the very same one Yuya made after her duel against Gongenzaka.

Unsure how to react, all Yaza could utter "Yuya?"

Sensing there was someone behind him, Sledgehammer turned around and came face to face with the clown mocking him. He snarled in anger as he watched the clown jump back and hold her hand over her mouth in silent laughter.

"So you must be Yuya Sakaki, the daughter of the coward." the champion stated with narrowed eyes.

The clown simply grinned before she threw off her hat and mask, revealing herself to be indeed Yuya.

"Why would I pass up this opportunity to duel you?" she stated with a wink, "I told you three years ago that I would be your opponent. So let's finally have that duel shall we?"

Without another word, she activated her red duel disk, prompting Sledgehammer to do the same. Her grin only grew when she heard Nico Smiley indicate the start of the duel as Action Cards were scattered across the field. Without any hesitation, she took the first turn.

"Ladies and Gentleman!" the teenage girl announced proudly with her arms wide open, "Allow me to show you what a classic Action Duel looks like!"

With an excited grin, she leap onto the zipline connected to the castle. As she sped to the ground, she managed to summon Performapal Hip Hippo before landing on the duel monster's back. She smiled brightly at the audience, giving a small wave of her hand.

"Catch me if you can, Sledgehammer!" she taunted as she made her hippo take off.

The entire audience was both puzzled and frustrated with the girl's actions. They couldn't understand why she was choosing to run instead of facing her opponent.  
Yaza groaned in annoyance, rubbing his fingers against the temple of his forehead. Out of all the ways he had hoped for his friend to begin the duel, he was disappointed she had chose to start it the same way she had done with all her previous duels, by riding her hippo. He let out a surrendering sigh whilst his hands moved away from his head, wondering if the teenager would ever take dueling seriously like he wanted her too.

Sledgehammer sneered at the display he was witnessing. Wanting to put Yuya's actions to a quick end, he announced his draw. With swift speed, he pulled the card out of his deck; his eyes narrowing slightly when he saw the Duel Monster card Battleguard King in his hand.

"I activate Feast of the Wild Level Five!" he shouted whilst placing the spell card on his duel disk, "It allows me to Special Summon two Level Five Warrior-type Monsters with their effects negated. The monsters I choose to summon are Lava Battleguard and Swamp Battleguard!"

In a flash of light, two large horned monsters that were red and yellow appeared in the air. They let out ferocious roars as they fell as top speeds.

"Now I sacrifice both of them to Tribute Summon!" he said as the two monsters disappeared in a burst of light, "Come forth from the depths of the hidden woods, crushing the giant trees in your way! King of savages, ruler of the wild! Battleguard King!"

The ground rumbled as a ferocious roar filled the air. Suddenly, the trees on the field were smash out of the way by a giant club, revealing a large red horned monster wearing armor.  
Yuya's eyes widen in surprise as she made her hippo pause for a moment, stunned her opponent managed to summon a 3000 Attack monster on his first turn. With teeth slightly clenched she made Hip Hippo take off running once more. As she took off, she could hear Sledgehammer command his monster to attack. Her red eyes quickly scanned her surrounding until she spotted a single card on top of a bush. She grinned as she reached out and grabbed the card. Knowing she only had seconds to act, she quickly slid it into her Action Card slot on her duel disk.

"I activate my Action Magic card, Evasion! Now Hip Hippo can easily dodge your monster's attack!" she stated just before her monster rolled out of the way the swinging club.

Her laughter filled the air as she took off once more, starting the chase anew.

"Why is she being so cheerful about this?" Gongenzaka commented with a frown, "She's not even trying to fight Sledgehammer, I thought this duel meant everything to her."

But before anyone could respond, a female voice spoke up "What makes you think Yuya isn't fighting?"

The group turned, surprised when they were approached by a smiling Yoko.

"Really? Yuya's fighting, like this?" Yaza questioned, turning back toward the battle just in time to see his friend use yet another Action Card to counter Sledgehammer's second attack.

The blonde nodded before revealing the teenage girl's intentions. She knew about the mask of buffoonery her daughter hid behind for the past three years. While it broke her heart slightly to see her child willing to take the full brunt of the people's mocking, it also touched her to see the fourteen year-old truly cared for her father deeply. She could recall the days her daughter came home in tears, but always managing to honor the dueltainer's word by wearing a smile on her face. Now she couldn't be happier to see her child finally following her father's footsteps.

With Sledgehammer finally ending his turn, Yuya announced her next draw. She happily gasped when she noticed the card she held in her hand. It was time for the mask of the fool to come off; she was ready to reveal to the world what she was truly capable of. She hummed as she made her hippo finally screech to a stop. She gave her duel monster a small pat on the head before finally sliding off of its back.

"Everyone, we are approaching the climax of our show today!" the green and red-haired girl proclaimed proudly, "Performapal Hip Hippo can act as two monsters when used for Tribute Summoning."

Climbing on the hippo's back, the expression of pure excitement and determination was clearly showing on her face. Without any hesitation, she had the pink hippo jump off the wall. Her heart pounded in anticipation upon sacrificing the duel monster, prompting it to disappear in a burst of light.

"Everyone, put your hands together!" Yuya shouted as she stripped off the rest of her clown costume as she fell, revealing her usual attire underneath, "Today's main attraction, the rare dragon with two differently colored eyes! Odd-Eyes Dragon!"

Just as the final word left her mouth, she landed atop of a red and white dragon with red and green eyes. Her hand were gripped tightly around the white dragon's horns. She let out a satisfied sigh as she closed her eyes momentarily. She couldn't explain it, but standing on Odd-Eyes while surrounding by a cheering crowd felt strangely nostalgic to her.

Recalling there was still a duel to be finished, she opened her eyes with a smirk whilst proclaiming "The fun is just beginning!"


	6. Chapter 6 - Pendulum

Chapter 6

Yuya grinned as the audience burst into cheers from her proclamation. She knew instantly the people had recognized it as none other than her's father line that he would always shout out during his duels. Her heart couldn't help but flutter at the thought of restoring the excitement and respect it once garnered.

"Using the same line your cowardly father spatted are you?" Sledgehammer sneered.

Glancing down at his duel disk, he saw the comm screen activate with the image of the glaring teenage girl.

"My father is not a coward. He was a great dueltainer that brought smiles to everyone." Yuya stated with a hint of a growl in her voice, "That's what I intend to prove. I'll defeat you Sledgehammer and I'll be doing it with my father's techniques. Then you'll finally understand, Yusho Sakaki is not a coward, he's a strong duelist that can beat you or anyone else any day!"

The champion huffed with narrowed eyes. With Odd-Eyes only having an attack of 2500, he didn't see how it would be able to defeat his 3000 attack monster. But he grew a bit worried when he noticed the mischievous glint in the girl's eye, wondering what kind of plan she had in store.

Placing the spell on her duel disk, the fourteen year-old announced "I activate the continuous Spell Card, Wonder Balloon!"

With the simple tug on the horns, she was able to command Odd-Eyes to start running. The teen moved a swift speeds, managing to quickly grab an Action Card and slide it into her Graveyard slot before grabbing another. She managed to discard a total of ten cards, before finally commanding her dragon to stop and stand across from Battleguard King. She wore a determined grin, revealing that Wonder Balloon's effect would drop the attack points of all opponent's monsters by 300 points for every card she had discard.

She hummed happily as a large box appeared before her and released ten balloons before snapping her fingers. The instant she did this, the balloons exploded, covering Battleguard King's entire body in cartoonish balloons, dropping its attack points to zero.

"By the way, Odd-Eyes here has a special effect. When it battles a Level Five or higher monster, you take damage equal to half of the destroyed monster's attack points!" she finished in a victorious tone.

The crowd cheered in amazement, stunned by the girl's skills. Hearing this only encouraged her to smile and finish her performance with a bang. With Odd-Eyes defeating Battleguard King combined with its special effect, she knew she would be able to take out all of Sledgehammer's attack points with a single attack, finally fulfilling her three year-long wish. Brimming with confidence, she commanded her dragon to attack with a single out stretched arm. Her red eyes shined in excitement as the red dragon blasted its energy, causing her opponent's monster to be engulfed in a cloud of smoke.

Yuya flashed a bright grin, her heart sent racing as she heard the audience's applause. Unfortunately, her happiness disappeared when she saw Battleguard King still on the field. Confusion overwhelmed her as she glanced up at Sledgehammer for answers. Much to her horror, she saw the hologram of a very familiar card behind him.

"You aren't the only one that can use Action Cards." the champion smirked, "The Action Spell Card, Miracle, prevents the destruction of my monster and I only take half damage from your attack."

Yuya's heart nearly stopped as she quickly glance at the scoreboard, seeing her opponent indeed had 2750 Life points left, having only taken 1250 damage from her attack.

A cocky grin was plastered on his face as he jumped down to a lower platform whilst flipping over his trap card.

"Your father's tactics are weak! I activate my Continuous Trap Card, Battleguard Rage! When I take damage, it increases the attack of one of my Battleguard monsters. Since Battleguard King is the only Battleguard on the field its attack will now increase by 2000!"

The green and red-haired girl bit her lip hard. Having no other choice, she ended her turn. To add onto more of her frustration, the effect of her spell card ended. She couldn't help but gasp a bit when she saw the monster's attack raise to 5000 the moment it broke free of the balloons. Knowing her only chance at fighting back was to grab yet another Action Card, she had Odd-Eyes take off. Her heart panicked as she heard Sledgehammer command his monster to attack. Quickly scanning the battlefield, she managed to spot a single Action Card in a tree.

She reached out her hand in an act of desperation, unfortunately her actions proved fruitless. Yuya screamed as Battleguard King's attack destroyed Odd-Eyes, causing her to tumble the ground with only 400 Life Points remaining.

"As much as it annoys me, your dragon is returned to your hand instead of sent to the Graveyard due to Battleguard Rage's effect." Sledgehammer stated with a sigh, "Not to mention, Battleguard King can only attack twice if there's a monster on the field. So I end my turn by activating the Quick-Play Spell, Battleguard Magic."

Yuya's heart sank as she watched her opponent raise his Life Points back up to 4000. Her hands trembled as she stared down at her cards. She couldn't see herself turning the match around with only monster cards. Tears began to brim in her eyes as she began to lose hope. She had wanted to restore her father's good name, but in her eyes all she had done was prove Sledgehammer's point. With a bit of hesitancy, her hand began to reach over to her deck, fully intending to surrender.

But before she could lay a single finger on the deck, her eyes widened when she heard a voice whisper " **Don't worry, leave everything to me.** "

In that instant, Yuya's fears faded as her eyes flashed yellow briefly. She narrowed her eyes whilst firmly grasping the card laying on top of her deck.

"It's my turn." she said, her voice having lost its carefree tone, "I draw!"

As soon as the final word left her mouth, the teenage girl shouted as she pulled out the card, resulting in a beam of light to stream from her duel disk. The light lingered in the air briefly before consuming her cards. Before her very eyes, the cards transformed, changing the appearance of the monsters on them. Her pendulum began to glow as she pulled two cards out from her hand.

"I set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale One Magician of Stargazer and the Scale Eight Timegazer!" she announced before placing the two cards on the ends of her duel disk, prompting the word "Pendulum" to be spelled out with rainbow colored letters.

Two beams of light appeared behind her, revealing two Magicians dressed in black and white rising up from the ground. They continued to raise until they hovered high above the girl with the numbers one and eight over their heads.

"I can now summon any Monsters between Levels Two and Seven at the same time!" she shouted, confusing everyone as she lifted her hand above her head "Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth! My monster servants!"

At her command, a portal in the sky opened up, releasing three beams of light. Much to everyone's shock, three monsters were summoned onto the field at once, including a newly dubbed Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. The dragon with now larger horns and wings, with red and green gems on its wings let out a mighty roar. Yuya couldn't help but smile in the delight, her eyes devoid of any mercy toward her opponent. There was only one thing on her mind, to demolish Sledgehammer's monster and win.

Yaza frowned slightly at events unfolding before him. While he was still stunned from witnessing a summoning method he had never heard of, his thoughts were more focused on his best friend. He couldn't pick up any sign of her usual cheerfulness, almost as if she had transformed into an entirely different person. He wondered why this could be, unaware his bracelet started to softly glow. Then before his eyes, he quietly gasped when he saw a figure made of shadows appear behind Yuya. He noticed the figure was in the exact same position as the teenage girl, mimicking her body movement.

Wanting to make sure he wasn't seeing things, the pink-haired boy quickly rubbed his eyes. But when he lowered his hands, the figure was gone. The fourteen year-old rapidly blinked in confusion, puzzled by the strange figure. Though due to being more focused on the mysterious figure, he failed to notice the glow fade away from his bracelet.

Stunned and angry by the strange summoning method he witnessed, Sledgehammer hissed on his comm "That has to be illegal! You can't special summon that many monsters at once!"

Appearing on his comm screen was a nervous Nico Smiley replying "I understand but the computers receive illegal moves as errors. If this Pendulum Summoning was registered as an error, she wouldn't even be able to bring out her monsters."

Upon hearing this, the champion's eyes widened in shock. With the computers not picking up any errors, that meant that Pendulum Summoning was completely legal. It baffled him as to how a summoning method he had never heard of didn't break the rules.  
Yuya's red eyes were narrowed in determination before she glanced up at Odd-Eyes. She didn't have to utter a single word for the dragon to lower its head. She gently stroked the monster's horns before finally climbing on to its back. Once more she now stood proudly with her hands tightly clutched around Odd-Eyes horns.

"I activate Performapal Whip Snake's effect! Once per turn, it can switch the Attack and Defense of an opponent's monster!" she shouted with her hand outstretched.

The purple snake with a top-hat hissed as it began swinging its tail, dropping Battleguard King's Attack down to 1100.

"Now Performapal Sword Fish's effect activates!" she continued as the sword with a fish like head split into multiple copies and stabbed themselves into the ground around Sledgehammer's monster, "Once per turn, it can decrease an opposing monster's a attack by 600!"

A nervous sweat began to form on the Champion's brow, before his very eyes he watched his 5000 Attack monster drop down to a mere 500 in seconds. His panic only grew when he heard the fourteen year-old command her dragon to attack the weakened monster. With only seconds to act, he activated his trap card, Battleguard Howling. He hoped with the card's effect to return the attacking monster to the owner's hand while inflicting the monster's attack points as damage that he would be able to finally finish off his opponent. But much to his surprise, the girl only narrowed her eyes before lifting her hand over her hand.

"O Timegazer Magician, who rules over Space-Time itself!" Yuya chanted, "Protect me with your ethereal powers! Timegazer's Pendulum Effect activates!"

The magician dressed in black humphed in response as he encircled himself with a golden, gear-shaped ring. The image of a clock appeared before it with the hands spinning backwards at top speeds. Without warning, the hologram of the Trap Card Sledgehammer activated flipped back down. The fourteen year-old's voice darkened as she explained the monster's effect, revealing that Timegazer Magician could negate one Trap or Spell card once per turn.  
Panic filled Sledgehammer's mind. With the trap negated, the only thing left he could thin of resorting to was Action Cards.

Quickly scanning the area, he managed to spot the Action Card in the tree Yuya tried to grab earlier. Wasting no time, he dashed for the card. He was filled with relief that he managed to successfully gain the card, yet confused why the teenager hadn't made any attempt in stopping him. Deciding not to question it, he quickly activated the Action Spell Card, Evasion. But much to his surprise, he saw the red and green-haired girl lift her hand up once more.

"O Stargazer Magician, who rules over Space-Time itself!" Yuya chanted once more, "Seal my foes with your ethereal powers! Stargazer's Pendulum Effect activates!"

The magician dress in white made no sound as it held out its staff, releasing sparks of energy.  
Sledgehammer gasped when he saw a red X appear on his duel disk before his spell card flipped downward, learning that Timegazer Magician could negate the effects and activation of Spell Cards that target one of her attacking Pendulum Monsters. With both his Trap and Action Card negated, there nothing else he could do to stop Odd-Eyes from attacking his monster.

Seeing victory was in her grasp, the teenage girl shouted her final command "It is time Odd-Eyes! Burn everything to cinders that your heteromactic eyes catch a glimpse of! Spiraling Strike Burst!"

The red dragon roared before leaping up in the air and blasting a stream of red energy toward Battleguard King.

"Odd-Eyes effect now activates! When it battles a Level Five or higher Monster, it inflicts double the battle damage!" she shouted in triumph.

Sledgehammer could only yell as his monster was destroyed and the explosion caused his body to go flying as his Life Points hit zero.  
A satisfied smile was painted on Yuya's face as she climbed off the dragon's back. She gave it another gentle stroke on its horns before it vanished in a burst of light. Silence of the stunned audience surrounded as she closed her eyes with a sigh. When she reopened her eyes, she was greeted with the sound of applause and cheer. The fourteen year-old blinked in bewilderment.

"What is-" she began to pondering until she heard cheering behind her.

She turned around to see her family and friends cheering happily in the stands.

"Yuya, you did it!" Yaza shouted happily, "You won the duel!"

Yuya was left speechless. Taking a quick look around, noticing her image featured on the screen with the text flashing "Victory!" She couldn't believe it, she managed to fulfill her promise and achieve victory. The only thing that bothered her was the fact she couldn't remember what happened after she stopped herself from surrendering. Deciding not to let it bother her, she laughed as she waved both of her arms, taking in the crowd's praise. She only stopped when she managed to spot Nico Smiley rushing toward her with an excited smile.

"That was quite the amazing feat, Yuya!" Nico congratulated, "You certainly surprised all of us with that brand new summoning technique. Can you tell us more about it? I believe in the battle you referred to it as a Pendulum Summon."

The teen blinked in shock, staring momentarily at the microphone held out in front of her before questioning "Pendulum Summon?"

Meanwhile back at LDS, many people were typing away at computers. The screens showcased readings of a large amount of dueling energy. Standing behind them was a now sixteen year-old Reiji Akaba. The silver-haired teen narrowed his eyes as he studied the screen. It intrigued him to see the energies originated from not only an unknown summoning method but also from the LDS Dueling Stadium. Deciding to satisfy his curiosity, he requested his employees to search up what kind of activity had taken place there.

The room was filled the tapping of keyboards until one of them answered "Apparently there was a duel. Sledgehammer was defeated by fourteen year-old Yuya Sakaki. According to the reports, she stunned everyone with a brand new summoning technique called Pendulum Summoning."

Reiji's brow raised slightly in interest. He immediately knew that to be the name belonging to the daughter of Yusho Sakaki. He never thought he would hear the name Sakaki outside the whispers and rumors surrounding Yusho Sakaki's disappearance. He found it intriguing how strange circumstances seem to always find their way to the Sakaki family.

Deciding this was something he couldn't ignore, he ordered "Have our men keep an eye on her status and see if you can gather any information on this Pendulum Summoning, no matter how trivial it is."

Later that day, back at the You Show Duel School, Yuya furrowed her brows as she watched the recording of her duel with Sledgehammer. Her lips her pursed in puzzlement as saw herself perform the new summoning technique. She could see she did indeed Pendulum Summon; what she couldn't understand was why she couldn't remember doing so. She groaned as her head leaned back, trying to figure how she could possibly use Pendulum Summoning in future battle is she didn't even now how to activate the summon.

Before she could ponder any longer, she was stirred from her thoughts by a door opening. Not wanting anyway to know about her lack of memory during the duel, she quickly switched off the TV and wore a bright smile. She saw the door opened up to see a nervous looking Yaza. Her smile faltered slightly when she noticed guilt clearly swimming in her friend's eyes.

"Hey Yuya, you doing alright?" the pink-haired teen asked.

Restoring her smile back to its former glory, Yuya answered "Yeah, doing great. Still trying to take everything in. Despite always having faith I would win against Sledgehammer, it still stuns me that I actually did it."

Yaza nodded in agreement as he sat down next to his friend. He twiddled his thumbs whilst taking in a deep breath.

"Yuya, I came here to apologize." he began, "Your mom told me what's been happening with you during the past years, that all those times you were goofing around was just you trying to make sure no one made fun of your dad. I honestly should have know. I'm your best friend, yet all this time I thought you seriously had no interest in dueling to your fullest."

The teenage girl stared speechlessly. She couldn't explain it, but the boy's word seemed to touch her deeply, prompting a small tug on her soul. Suddenly, without warning, she began to laugh.

"Guess that's means I was better at my acting than I thought. To think I even managed to pull the wool over your eyes too!" she replied with a few laughs in between her words.

She continued to laugh until she felt something smack her head. She immediately yelped and rubbed her head, seeing Yaza glare at her while holding his signature fan. She could only groan as she rubbed her now sore head, completely baffled at how the boy always had his fan on hand.

"Well excuse me for being worried and wanting my friend to give her all." he grumbled as he sat up, "But that's all I came here to say so I'll be leaving you to whatever you were doing."

Feeling a little guilty for laughing at the teen's concerns, her eyes glanced downward. As she watched him head toward the door, she wondered if she reveal her concerns about the duel. Before she could think over her choices, she called out for him. Seeing her friend pause and spun around to face her, she bite down on her lip nervously. Although a bit hesitant, she knew it was too late to turn back now. Taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves, she began explaining about the gaps in her memory.  
Yaza couldn't help but frown at the explanation. Remaining silent, his thoughts flashed back to the shadowy figure he saw with Yuya during the duel. He wondered if the strange figure could be responsible for the memory loss.

He opened his mouth, but before he could utter a single word, he heard a voice at the back of his head urge him to remain silent about the figure. He was puzzled about the strange voice, but chose to obey it nonetheless. Shifting his thoughts to the current problem, he could see the green and red-haired girl was deeply troubled about the Pendulum Summoning. With a hum, he closed his eyes in thought.

It only him a few seconds to reopen his eyes and suggest "What if we practiced until you figure it out? Yeah, I can duel with you until you manage to finally Pendulum Summon. Heck even Gongenzaka can help. I'm sure he would understand your circumstances. If you like, we can start first thing tomorrow."

Yuya's red eyes sparkled in excitement and gratefulness. Without warning, she threw her arms around the teenage boy and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks Yaza, you're the greatest friend a dueltainer could have!" she exclaimed.

Yaza could barely utter any words as his face turned blood red.

Later that night, while Yuya slept peacefully, she was unaware of the events unfolding within her conscious. Inside her mind, Yuya was laying admist a swirl of colors and stars. Standing over her was the figure made of light, shielding her body with a gold barrier. The figure let out a tired sigh until she heard the sound of footsteps. Standing protectively in front of the teen's body, she narrowed her eyes at the approaching figure. The sound of dark chuckles filled the air, prompting her to clench her teeth. Finally, after a few seconds of waiting, she spotted the familiar shadowy figure emerge from the darkness.

"Don't come any closer!" she threatened, spreading out her arms a bit wider, "I won't let you touch her again!"

The shadowy figure paused; his yellow eyes narrowing slightly.

"I did nothing to her, she agreed to let me take control. I would do nothing that would bring her harm." he stated.

"First of all, you manipulated her into accepting that deal. You took advantage of the heartbreak she was experiencing from her father's disappearance. Second of all, you want to steal away her life. You know accomplishing your goal would only mean her end! Why can't you just let her live her life?!" the light figure replied.

The figure of shadows snarled in frustration. But his anger quickly faded, allowing a smirk to grace his face. Without a word, he sat down on the ground.

"Fine then, shield her from me." he said in a dark tone, "But the connection has been established; whether by her will or not, she will seek out my presence. She will fulfill my wish to become one once more. But fortunately, I am very patient. After all, I have all the time in the world to wait."

No more words were shared as the two figures glared at each other, both with their own hopes and wishes for the unconscious teenage girl.


	7. Chapter 7 - Training

Chapter 7

"Are you sure this is the right way for us to figure out how Pendulum Summoning works?" Yuya asked as she equipped her duel disk.

"Well Yuya, you can't just watch the footage and come up with multiple scenarios as to why you were able to Pendulum Summon." Yaza stated as he equipped his own duel disk, "We need a way to test which scenario is correct. That way is through dueling. Besides, don't you want to test out the new Arc system we got?"

The teenage girl sighed as a small smile formed on her face, knowing her friend was spot on with his guess. Turning toward the window, she shouted for Gongenzaka to boot up the Action Field. Within seconds, she witnessed the white walls of the room fade away, replaced with lush greenery of grassy fields and flowers. Her mouth opened in awe as she took a moment to appreciate the graphics the Arc Computer generated. With the school's old Arc Computer, the graphics for the Action Field tended to be pixelated. But with the new one, the environment practically looked real.

"Got to admit, this is pretty cool. Now I'm kind of glad I accidentally broke the old one." Yaza commented.

"Oh so now you take the blame. Funny thing, I could I remember you specifically blaming me for the accident." Yuya teased.

With the roll of his eyes, the pink haired boy shouted for his friend to go first. If they wanted to learn the secret behind Pendulum Summoning, he knew they needed to recreate the duel against Sledgehammer. He watched as the fourteen year-old summoned Hip Hippo onto the field, the same Duel Monster she started with the previous day. He furrowed his brows in concern, noticing no changes with the girl's deck.

"Guess Hip Hippo didn't trigger anything." he muttered as he drew another card, "Maybe the key is damage; cards you can only summon when you take a certain amount of damage."

Yuya pursed her lips nervously. She didn't feel like damage was the answer, but with no knowledge as to what was the correct answer, she had no choice but to test the theory. Her body stiffened as she watched her friend summon Aria the Melodious Diva, a monster that looked like a pink skinned woman with a brown and pink dress, on the field. She couldn't explain it, but she always felt uneasy whenever she saw the duel monster. Quickly brushing her unease aside, she readied herself for the attack.

"Alright Aria! Attack Performapal Hip Hippo!" Yaza commanded with his hand out, prompting the Duel Monster to shoot soundwaves from its mouth by singing.

The green and red-haired girl flinched when the shockwaves hit and destroyed Hip Hippo, causing her life points to drop by 800. Although she knew it was part of testing scenarios, she couldn't help but feel bad for allowing her duel monster to be destroyed. She cared for her cards and shared a bond with them; they were things that help her push forward after her father's disappearance. Recalling why the duel was being held in the first place, she glanced down at her duel disk. No new cards were ejected from her duel disk upon receiving damage.

"Hmm." the fourteen year-old boy, began with his arms folded in thought, "Well in the duel in Sledgehammer, you did take a whole lot more than 800 points of damage. Let's try again!"

Upon hearing this suggestion, Yuya immediately shook her head whilst exclaiming "Yaza, if it didn't give me cards now, I seriously doubt it'll give me them later! Maybe it was just a coincidence that I was at low health."

"I guess that's that's true too." the pink-haired teen sighed, "Well that's about all the ideas I've come up with other than just setting the cards."

The female duelist couldn't help but raise her brow in interest at her friend's words. Out of all the possible scenarios they pictured, she never considered simply just setting the cards. Drawing a new card, she now finally held Timegazer Magician in her hand. Examining her cards, she noticed Timegazer and Odd-Eyes were the only Pendulum Cards she held at the moment.

Deciding to test her theory, she pick up the two cards and announced "I set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale Four Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and the Scale Eight Timegazer Magician!"

The instant she set the cards on her duel disk, the word "Pendulum" appeared in flashing rainbow colors. Her eyes brightened with excitement, quickly turning around to see Odd-Eyes and Timegazer floating above her in two beams of light with the numbers four and eight above them. Her heart nearly stopped out of joy, thrilled she had finally figured out the method behind the new summon. But unfortunately, when she tried to summon the rest of her cards from her hand, her duel disk beeped with an error message being displayed.

She nearly fell over in shock. Out of slight frustration, she immediately picked up one of her pendulum cards and slapped it back down, trying to force the summon to work. But each time she did this, the error message persisted. A whine of disappointment escaped Yuya's mouth whilst she leaned her head back.

"I don't get it. I thought I had it. I was able to set Odd-Eyes and Timegazer as scales, why can't I summon any my monsters?" she sighed.

Wordlessly she slid down to the ground, placing her goggles over her eyes. It frustrated her to no ends. She invented a new summoning method that granted her victory in a duel that would bring honor back to her father, yet has no memory of doing so. She wanted to continue using the Pendulum Summon, bringing smiles to everyone as she repaired her father's name bit by bit. But she couldn't do that, not when she had yet successfully to recreate the summon.  
Noticing his friend's distress, Yaza hummed in thought, allowing his blue eyes to glance up at the two Pendulum Monsters still floating above the teenage girl.

Out of all the things in the scene before him, one thing captured his attention. It was the numbers above the two monsters, the four and eight. He knew they weren't numbers describing what level the monsters were. Timegazer Magician was a Level Three monster and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon was a Level Seven monster. He recalled his friend before she set the two cards, referring to the two as "Scale Four" and "Scale Eight." With that question answered, all he was left to ask himself was what was the importance of the scales.

Deciding to gain answers, he asked "Say Yuya, you mentioned Scales. What was Stargazer Magician's Scale number?"

Upon hearing this, Yuya's eyes widened in shock. Quickly pulling her goggles back on her forehead, she pulled out her deck and searched for Stargazer. Within seconds she found the card with the image of the magician dressed in white. Her breath hitched slightly with her heart racing in panic and hope. On the card, it detailed the Pendulum Monster as Scale One.

 _"On the recording, I said I was able to summon any monsters between Level Two and Seven."_ she noted to herself, her red eyes narrowed in concentration, _"Those numbers are between one and eight. Odd-Eyes is Scale Four and I only had level three monsters in my hand. I wonder."_

Deciding to test the theory, she stood up once more and removed the two set cards. Her hands slightly trembled, fearing her theory would only end in yet another failed attempt. But despite this, she was still willing to try.

Taking in a deep breath, she announced "I set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale One Stargazer Magician and Scale Eight Timegazer Magician!"

In that instant, the familiar two beams of light appeared with the two duel monsters hovering above the dueltainer. But instead of the error message appearing like before, a glowing portal appeared in the sky. Three lights shot out from the from the portal, taking the form of the duel monsters Yuya had in her hand at the time. She was left speechless as a grin slowly crept onto her face. Unable to to contain her joy, she cheered loudly, her fists thrust high into the air.

"Yaza, I did it! I Pendulum Summoned!" she laughed ecstatically, "I understand it now, I can keep on using it!"

Yaza couldn't help but smile at his beaming friend. Seeing her filled with so much happiness felt satisfying and strangely nostalgic for him. Though his happiness changed into shock when the teenage girl practically leapt into his arms for a hug. Due to the hug catching him off guard, he yelped as he crashed to the ground. He groaned as he blinked his blue eyes, finding his vision filled with red and green hair. Realizing his friend was on top of him, a blush formed on his face.

"Oh sorry about that Yaza. Guess I got a little too excited there." Yuya apologized with a bashful grin, pushing herself up into a sitting position.

The fourteen year-old boy was unable to utter anything, too flustered to come up with a response. All he could do was stare with his mouth hang open. Fortunately the embarrassment faded when he saw the teen girl stood up and hold out her hand for him. Much to his confusion, the scene triggered an image in his mind. For a few brief seconds, instead of seeing Yuya, he saw a man with white and green hair that shared the teen's face. He groaned in response, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. Yet when he reopened his eyes, he saw the teenage girl standing before him once more.

"Yaza, is everything alright?" Yuya asked, noticing the strange silence in her friend.

The pink-haired boy blink silently, still baffled by the strange vision. He opened his mouth, intending to speak his worries, yet once again a strange voice advised him against doing so.

 _"Again, that voice again. First it told me not to tell about the shadow, now its telling me not to tell about that guy I saw with Yuya's face. But why, are these thing connected?"_ he thought in concern, _"I don't know, but both that shadow and that guy give me an uneasy feeling. If this voice doesn't want Yuya to know about this, then I better listen."_

Refusing to let his friend catch on, he smiled as he replied "Well gee, I did get knocked over by you. Consider me a bit dazed."

Without another word, he accepted the hand extended to him and pulled himself up.

"Are you two done flirting now? I was hoping maybe I can test my deck against Yuya's now that she knows how to Pendulum Summon." Gongenzaka stated over the intercom.

Upon hearing this, the two teen's faces turned bright red as they shouted "We weren't flirting!"

After long training sessions, nightfall had come once again. Yuya's hands clenched her sheets tightly with her body tossing and turning. In her dream, she found herself standing atop of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with the sound of cheers surrounding her. Her eyes glanced worryingly at the faceless crowd. She couldn't explain it, but their cheers felt unsettling. Returning her attention to the stadium, much to her surprise, she was not alone. Standing by Odd-Eyes were none other than three dragons with a rider on each. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell who the riders were due to their bodies being silhouettes of light; that being blue, green, and purple.

She didn't know who the figures were, yet they felt familiar to her. Suddenly, without warning, she saw the blue glowing figure turn their head toward her. The teenage girl suddenly felt herself overwhelmed with emotions of sadness and anger. Lifting her hand to her face, she was shocked to learn tears had began pouring from her eyes without her knowledge. Before she could even question her strange emotions, the figure extended their hand out to her. In that instant, she felt as if she had entered a calming trance. Without any hesitation, she reached out for the figure's hand. As she did this, there was only one thought on her mind, and that was to become one.

Right as she was about to touch the figure's hand, a bright light filled her vision with a female voice crying out her name. Yuya sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes snapped wide open. Her hands trembled as she ran them through her hair, trying to recall her dream. Yet no matter how much she tried, she couldn't completely recall it. The only thing she could see was the blurry image of a figure made of a glowing blue light.

"Ugh, is it just me, or am I getting plagued more than usual with these bizarre dreams I can't remember?" she groaned as she laid back, "Why does the weird stuff always keep happening around me?"

But unknown to Yuya, she wasn't the only one experiencing the mysterious dream.  
Yuto shouted as he awoke in a panic. His brow was covered in a cold sweat as his body trembled. Taking a frantic look at his surroundings, he saw he was still in the same place he had fallen asleep; the storage warehouses of Maimi City. Recalling the reason why he was now in the Standard Dimension, his jaw tightened whilst his body tensed. Fortunately, he was provided a distraction in the form of groaning. Turning to his left, he saw a tired Shun sitting up, still clearly tired as he rubbed his eyes.

"Gee Yuto, why don't you yell louder. I think I can still hear in this ear." the green-haired teen grumbled with a yawn.

Seeing his friend was still clearly tired, Yuto sighed in apology "Sorry about that. It's just I had another nightmare. Like the others I can't remember it all that well. Only thing I remember was this figure made of a glowing red light."

"Glowing red light, that's a new one. Didn't your other nightmares usually involve a dragon." Shun commented, drowsiness still lingering in his tone.

The fourteen year-old silently nodded his head.  
Letting out another yawn, the older teen advised his friend to ignore the nightmare and return to sleep.  
While he intended to do so, Yuto didn't quite fall asleep immediately. His gray eyes glanced up to the sky, memories filling his mind of often sitting under the night sky with Ruri. Taking in a deep breath, he settled back on the ground.

As his eyes slipped close, he whispered under his breath "Ruri, just hold on. Shun and I will get you back, no matter what."

With the last of his words, he fell into slumber.

The next day, at Miami Second Middle School, Yuya drowsily tried paying attention to the teacher's words. Due to her nightmare, she wasn't able to get much sleep that night. Her mind grew foggy with the desperate need for sleep. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to fight urge, prompting her to slump over her desk.  
Yaza panicked the instant he noticed the red and green-haired girl fall asleep. His panic only grew when he saw the teacher finish writing out the question, calling upon Yuya to answer it.

Acting on instinct alone, he whacked his friend's arm lightly. Much to displeasure, this action didn't quite worked like he had hoped.  
Upon being woken up from the whack, Yuya jolted out of her seat, announcing her Pendulum Summon whilst doing so. It took a few seconds for it dawn on her that she was not in the middle of a duel, rather she was in the middle of class. She slowly and nervously lowered her arms as the teacher marched over her with a strict glare.

"Sakaki, does this look like a classroom or a dueling arena?" the teacher said, his arms tightly folded across his chest.

Due to the growing nervousness, the teen smiled nervously and replied "If I say dueling arena, will I not get in trouble?"

Yaza was completely floored by his friend's answer. He couldn't help but groan as the teacher dragged the fourteen year-old over to the front of the class, demanding she write the answer on the board. Much to his relief the rest of the school day proceeded as normally. Once classes were over, he glared annoyingly over at his bashfully grinning friend.

"Look Yuya, I know you were excited you figured out how to Pendulum Summon. But please, try to remember you have a life outside of dueling." he scolded.

"Oh you worry too much Yaza." Yuya replied with a small laugh, "Honestly the only time you give me that glare is when you're about to smack me with your paper fan."

"I'm actually very tempted to bring it out. I do carry it with me everywhere." the pink-haired teen replied, his voice carrying a hint of a threat.

As the two made their way to the school gates, the noticed three small children waiting excitedly for them. Yuya immediately recognized the chubby boy and the red-haired girl as Futoshi and Ayu, but the blue-haired boy she did not know. Searching her memories, she immediately recognized the child as the one who had watched her duel at the school with his mother.

"Yuya Nee-chan, this is Tatsuya. He said he saw your duel against Sledgehammer and really wanted to meet you." Ayu said happily, nudging Tatsuya a bit closer to the teenage girl.

"Go on, just say hi." Futoshi urged with a huge grin.

Doing his best to hide his nervousness, the young boy spoke up "I really admire you. The way you defeated Sledgehammer and had fun with your duel monsters, all of it was amazing. I had my mother sign me up to attend You Show Duel School. I'm hoping to learn more from you Onee-chan."

Yuya was taken back. While she knew people were impressed by the duel, she had never expected to be immediately looked up to as a mentor. It too amazing for her to comprehend that she couldn't help but smile brightly at revelation. For a brief moment, she wondered if she was feeling the same pride her father would from both her and Yaza looking up toward him.

"Can we go over to the school and watch you duel?" Tatsuya asked.

The fourteen year-old girl didn't need any time to think as she immediately agreed, prompting the three children to cheer out of sure excitement. But before she could take a single step, without warning, three suctions cup darts stuck to her face directly in between her eyes. She stared in confusion at the objects as Yaza pulled them off of her face.

"What wa-" the teenage boy began to ask.

But much to his surprise, he found himself cut off by a suave male voice commenting "Triple Bullseye! I believe that scores me one-hundred and fifty points."

Standing before them was a teen with brown hair and blonde bangs, wearing the school uniform. His pale-blue eyes were slightly narrowed with a smirk painted on his face, clearly showing off his smug nature. He chuckled as he made his way over to Yuya and lifted up her hand with both of his.

"Name's Shingo Sawatari, I attend Class One. I've been meaning meet you ever since I've watched your duel with Sledgehammer. It was quite thrilling and insightful." he introduced himself with a wink.

Yuya was left speechless, both confused at how forward the teen was being with her and why he had chosen to begin his introduction by throwing darts at her face.

"That new technique you used, Pendulum Summon I believe you called it, was so amazing!" Shingo praised as he pulled the girl's hand close to his chest, "You must show me the method behind the Pendulum Summon. It would be such an honor to watch such a talented duelist such as yourself."

The red and green-haired girl was stunned. A blush managed to form on her face with her allowing nervous laughs to escape her mouth.  
Unable to take the sight anymore, Yaza growled angrily as he pulled his friend's hand out of Shingo's grip and shoved his darts into his chest. He didn't understand, but the way the blonde-brunette was acting deeply annoyed him. Grabbing ahold of Yuya's hand, he began dragging her off as he reminded her that she had promised a duel for the children.

But much to annoyance, he was only able to walk a few steps till he heard Shingo say "If you want to show them the Pendulum Summon, there's a more fitting stage for that."

The two teens turned around to see Shingo smirking with his hands in his pockets.

"Until five, we can use the LDS Center Court. I've got a reservation." he stated.

Yuya couldn't believe what she was hearing, prompting her to immediately exclaim "LDS Center Court?! That LDS Center Court?!"

With his smirk growing, he showed off his LDS badge pinned to the collar of his black shirt. Smugness laced his words as he explained his position as not only one of the top students at the dueling school, but also as the son of the mayor. With these factors, he was able to easily acquire a reservation.  
Yaza was clearly against the idea. Not only did he wish to step foot in a rival dueling school, but he had a growing suspicion toward the smug teen. He wanted to voice his disinterest, yet he found himself silenced by the children's excitement.

Glancing over to Yuya, he saw her simply smiled as her red eyes silently pleaded for him to allow her to accept the teen's offer. Letting out a defeated sigh, the fourteen year-old relented.  
The three children cheered happily. Unable to wait, they took off running, two of them pulling Yuya along by her wrists with a hesitant Yaza trailing behind. But as they began their trek toward LDS, they failed to notice the dark smirk that formed on Shingo's face.


End file.
